New member! My 14 gallon nano reef progress (Image Heavy)

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:27 AM

Hey all! New to the forums, long time salt enthusiast. Been in and out of the hobby for a number of years (financials, school and other things can get in the way some times) but now I'm making my most serious attempt at a reef tank. Hope you like the progression!

The backstory: I had a 40 gallon tall salt water setup which I received for my highschool graduation. A 40 gallon tall, as it turns out, is a bit more work than I had originally anticipated or wanted to get in to. The tank had undergone several iterations of being broken down and built back up, and with this latest tank break-down I had decided to go with something much more manageable instead. The possibilities of a nano tank had always fascinated me, so after a bit of research, I decided to start my own with a BioCube BC14. It fits perfectly on my desk next to my computer (my home office), and is now thriving. Enjoy!

Tank the day of arrival, November 23, 2010:

Moved my two percula clowns, the live sand, and a 50/50 mix of established tank water and fresh water change. Things are a bit cloudy, but they're hiding out a bit

Cloudy Water:

Tank cleared up, added approximately 12lbs of Fiji Live Rock, hand picked at LFS for $6.99 / lb, placed on top of existing dead rock from old tank, not bad:

Three more pounds of live rock, one dead rock removed:

Bring on the Astreas! Picked up 6 at LFS, been doing great ever since.

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:29 AM

FireFish: Picked up 2 at LFS, along with cleaner shrimp, only to have a heater problem cause three casualties at once

December 19, 2010: Added first Zoanthid rock after squaring away heater situation (Switched to Marineland stealth heater, been fantastic ever since!):

New shrimpy

I'm absolutely in love with the cleaner shrimp, their personalities simply can't be beat:

Experimenting with new camera! Macro of snail on the tank:

This is why I love this little guy:

Feather duster colony that came with the rock:

Feb 5, 2011: Added additional Zoa rock and new Duncan Coral (seen hiding at bottom) , FTS:

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:32 AM

Close up of the Zoa rock, pretty nice coloration, but its grown since here:

Duncan finally showing itself:

Added Lawnmower Blenny to help out with cleanup:

Mysteriously died 2 weeks later

Plenty of algae in tank, water tested fine, other corals and fish were healthy.

Shrimp being a nudge and pulling food out of the mouth of the Duncan:

March 6: One trip to LFS and two frags later: Fox Coral: $15

And a Hammer Coral: $15:

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:35 AM

Messing with vibrancy a bit, the Zoa rock, Duncan, and Hammer coral together:

Full Tank Shot, March 7, 2011:

Closeup of the Zoa rock and Duncan:

Duncan can be seen here sprouting new heads: (Side note; is there something wrong with the Duncan? The streaks at the base worry me, it's spot-feeding just fine...)

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:39 AM

March 9, 2011: Seismic shift in aqua-scaping takes place. A wild hair provokes me to do something drastic with the tank:

The Fox, Hammer, and Duncan now sit quietly at the bottom in the sand bed, with the two Zoa rocks at the top. Full Tank Shot with all corals settled in and out:

And finally, under LED lighting in "Moonlight Mode":

Hope you guys enjoyed! Stay tuned for more tank progress! Let me know your thoughts!

nano51 · 03/10/2011, 11:40 AM

Welcome

drew_l · 03/10/2011, 11:47 AM

Looks great man! I am just in the process of building a 14g biocube mini-reef (see my build in my sig!). Do your snails ever climb over the gap between the back chambers and the display area ?

What setup do you have in your back chambers?

I'm really loving the new aquascape! how many lbs of liverock do you have?

cculos · 03/10/2011, 11:47 AM

Thanks! I Hope you like the tank, its been a whirlwind ride so far, only been 3 months or so!

Edit: Drew, thanks for the kind words! The new aquascape really does make it feel much more like a reef tank, and no so much a pile of rubble. The rock is about 14 lbs, and has been really starting to grow the corraline algae on its surface, which is a thrill to me (means I'm doing something right!). Haven't had any trouble with the Astreas climbing over, and a bit about the backend setup:

The original pump was only rated for 137 gph (570 liters/hour). While that flow was probably sufficient if you're going to keep betas or something, it wasn't enough for my needs. So I swapped in the pump from my old tank, rated at (I believe) 800 liters/hour, and it moves much more water, making me feel more comfortable with the whole setup. I also opted for the Oceanic Protein Skimmer in the back of the tank to act as an active filtration device (rather than the passive cartridges that sit in the back). I am considering swapping out the center chamber for a media cage, but thats a bit more work than I think I want to put into it right now. I have a low amount of fish in the tank so the waste generated isn't nearly as bad as, say, my dad's 125gal FOWLR tank (oh man, its tremendous!)

Double Edit: Now with video!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/RkSAxRh13hM?hd=1

drew_l · 03/10/2011, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cculos

Thanks! I Hope you like the tank, its been a whirlwind ride so far, only been 3 months or so!

Edit: Drew, thanks for the kind words! The new aquascape really does make it feel much more like a reef tank, and no so much a pile of rubble. The rock is about 14 lbs, and has been really starting to grow the corraline algae on its surface, which is a thrill to me (means I'm doing something right!). Haven't had any trouble with the Astreas climbing over, and a bit about the backend setup:

The original pump was only rated for 137 gph (570 liters/hour). While that flow was probably sufficient if you're going to keep betas or something, it wasn't enough for my needs. So I swapped in the pump from my old tank, rated at (I believe) 800 liters/hour, and it moves much more water, making me feel more comfortable with the whole setup. I also opted for the Oceanic Protein Skimmer in the back of the tank to act as an active filtration device (rather than the passive cartridges that sit in the back). I am considering swapping out the center chamber for a media cage, but thats a bit more work than I think I want to put into it right now. I have a low amount of fish in the tank so the waste generated isn't nearly as bad as, say, my dad's 125gal FOWLR tank (oh man, its tremendous!)

Double Edit: Now with video!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/RkSAxRh13hM?hd=1

Hey,
I just picked up the Media basket from InTank. It took me about 5 minutes to knock out the false floor in chamber two and insert the basket. I'm running filter floss, chaeto, and chemipure/purigen. It all fits in very nicely!!

Check out my build for pics!!

cculos · 03/10/2011, 12:50 PM

Love the tank so far, Drew! I definitely want to get that media basket, that sucker is sweet!

jaklos · 03/10/2011, 01:07 PM

Looking good keep on posting

cculos · 03/10/2011, 02:18 PM

Thanks! Excited to finally start owning a reef tank and taking proper care of it!

cculos · 03/11/2011, 05:07 PM

Can anyone recommend me a few more fish? What do you think the max should be in a tank like this? I was thinking of getting a flame angel but from what I hear it wouldn't be a good idea given the small size and the angel's nature to nip at live rock / corals.

I'm thinking of something maybe a bit less conventional, not firefish, thoughts?

markgsa · 03/11/2011, 09:02 PM

That zoa rock is awesome. Nice coloration on it.

robot2222 · 03/11/2011, 10:20 PM

i am in the process 14 bc . your 14 looks sweet . i really like the new aquascape . keep up good work .

Tahoe69 · 03/12/2011, 12:45 AM

+1 on the new scape! thanks looking awesome

cculos · 03/12/2011, 02:25 AM

Thank you all so much for the kind words! Really appreciate it - gives me resolve for what I'm doing! I want a nice, big coral with a lot of movement for my next purchase - do you guys think that maybe a frogspawn (cheaper) or a torch (more expensive) would work?

schneidergarret · 03/12/2011, 07:45 AM

looks very good i like the aquascape that you re did

pakarinen · 03/12/2011, 08:34 AM

Looks really good!

Been thinking about getting back into SW with a BC14 - had a couple FO marine tanks 20(!) years ago, so inverts and corals would be a new adventure - and your pics have convinced me to go see what the LFSs have in stock.

cculos · 03/12/2011, 09:19 AM

Awesome! Glad I could convince somebody to get back into the hobby! It's been my experience that my LFS has hidden gems in their coral tanks - top shelf frags often have a lot of nice surprises for cheap, and the one I go to has a buy one get one half off, so it ends up being very reasonable (though generally they're more expensive than online and other places).

Tahoe69 · 03/13/2011, 12:53 AM

ive been looking at the torch at my lfs for the last month or so and i want it everytime i got in so i would say go with that!

cculos · 03/13/2011, 08:14 AM

Torch corals really are beautiful, but my LFS knows it; they want in excess of $100 for one thats like 4-5", it's kinda crazy. I'm worried that I'll overspend on corals and not end up getting my moneys worth. However, I really do want to throw a nice, big coral in their as the display piece while the smaller frags grow up. Also- can anyone tell me whether or not I should be dosing these corals to help them grow? What works? I'd like to avoid snake oil if possible, so I figured I'd ask here first.

cculos · 03/13/2011, 12:35 PM

Duncan is out in full force, figured I'd take a shot of it and the Hammer:

Hammer:

Zoa rock:

Edit: SUCCESS! New heads starting to sprout on the Duncan:

Tahoe69 · 03/13/2011, 07:10 PM

yeah tje torch here is around $70 so i get where your coming from. I use zooplex to feed my zoas once a week or so. I would say just dose with your normal 2 part

cculos · 03/13/2011, 07:53 PM

And how much faster will they grow as a result of that? Mine are growing pretty quickly as is, I see plenty of new sprouts all the time...

03/10/2011, 11:27 AM	#1
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	New member! My 14 gallon nano reef progress (Image Heavy) Hey all! New to the forums, long time salt enthusiast. Been in and out of the hobby for a number of years (financials, school and other things can get in the way some times) but now I'm making my most serious attempt at a reef tank. Hope you like the progression! The backstory: I had a 40 gallon tall salt water setup which I received for my highschool graduation. A 40 gallon tall, as it turns out, is a bit more work than I had originally anticipated or wanted to get in to. The tank had undergone several iterations of being broken down and built back up, and with this latest tank break-down I had decided to go with something much more manageable instead. The possibilities of a nano tank had always fascinated me, so after a bit of research, I decided to start my own with a BioCube BC14. It fits perfectly on my desk next to my computer (my home office), and is now thriving. Enjoy! Tank the day of arrival, November 23, 2010: Moved my two percula clowns, the live sand, and a 50/50 mix of established tank water and fresh water change. Things are a bit cloudy, but they're hiding out a bit Cloudy Water: Tank cleared up, added approximately 12lbs of Fiji Live Rock, hand picked at LFS for $6.99 / lb, placed on top of existing dead rock from old tank, not bad: Three more pounds of live rock, one dead rock removed: Bring on the Astreas! Picked up 6 at LFS, been doing great ever since.

03/10/2011, 11:47 AM	#7
drew_l Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario Posts: 111	Looks great man! I am just in the process of building a 14g biocube mini-reef (see my build in my sig!). Do your snails ever climb over the gap between the back chambers and the display area ? What setup do you have in your back chambers? I'm really loving the new aquascape! how many lbs of liverock do you have? __________________ 14g Oceanic Biocube LED Retro >>> 15 lbs Live rock >>> 20 lbs Live sand >>> Reef Keeper Lite. Click to see my build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1987104 Current Tank Info: 14g Oceanic Biocube

03/10/2011, 11:47 AM	#8
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Thanks! I Hope you like the tank, its been a whirlwind ride so far, only been 3 months or so! Edit: Drew, thanks for the kind words! The new aquascape really does make it feel much more like a reef tank, and no so much a pile of rubble. The rock is about 14 lbs, and has been really starting to grow the corraline algae on its surface, which is a thrill to me (means I'm doing something right!). Haven't had any trouble with the Astreas climbing over, and a bit about the backend setup: The original pump was only rated for 137 gph (570 liters/hour). While that flow was probably sufficient if you're going to keep betas or something, it wasn't enough for my needs. So I swapped in the pump from my old tank, rated at (I believe) 800 liters/hour, and it moves much more water, making me feel more comfortable with the whole setup. I also opted for the Oceanic Protein Skimmer in the back of the tank to act as an active filtration device (rather than the passive cartridges that sit in the back). I am considering swapping out the center chamber for a media cage, but thats a bit more work than I think I want to put into it right now. I have a low amount of fish in the tank so the waste generated isn't nearly as bad as, say, my dad's 125gal FOWLR tank (oh man, its tremendous!) Double Edit: Now with video! http://www.youtube.com/embed/RkSAxRh13hM?hd=1 Last edited by cculos; 03/10/2011 at 12:02 PM.

03/13/2011, 12:35 PM	#23
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Duncan is out in full force, figured I'd take a shot of it and the Hammer: Hammer: Zoa rock: Edit: SUCCESS! New heads starting to sprout on the Duncan: Last edited by cculos; 03/13/2011 at 12:40 PM.

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03/10/2011, 11:29 AM	#2
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	FireFish: Picked up 2 at LFS, along with cleaner shrimp, only to have a heater problem cause three casualties at once December 19, 2010: Added first Zoanthid rock after squaring away heater situation (Switched to Marineland stealth heater, been fantastic ever since!): New shrimpy I'm absolutely in love with the cleaner shrimp, their personalities simply can't be beat: Experimenting with new camera! Macro of snail on the tank: This is why I love this little guy: Feather duster colony that came with the rock: Feb 5, 2011: Added additional Zoa rock and new Duncan Coral (seen hiding at bottom) , FTS:

03/10/2011, 11:32 AM	#3
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Close up of the Zoa rock, pretty nice coloration, but its grown since here: Duncan finally showing itself: Added Lawnmower Blenny to help out with cleanup: Mysteriously died 2 weeks later Plenty of algae in tank, water tested fine, other corals and fish were healthy. Shrimp being a nudge and pulling food out of the mouth of the Duncan: March 6: One trip to LFS and two frags later: Fox Coral: $15 And a Hammer Coral: $15:

03/10/2011, 11:35 AM	#4
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Messing with vibrancy a bit, the Zoa rock, Duncan, and Hammer coral together: Full Tank Shot, March 7, 2011: Closeup of the Zoa rock and Duncan: Duncan can be seen here sprouting new heads: (Side note; is there something wrong with the Duncan? The streaks at the base worry me, it's spot-feeding just fine...)

03/10/2011, 11:39 AM	#5
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	March 9, 2011: Seismic shift in aqua-scaping takes place. A wild hair provokes me to do something drastic with the tank: The Fox, Hammer, and Duncan now sit quietly at the bottom in the sand bed, with the two Zoa rocks at the top. Full Tank Shot with all corals settled in and out: And finally, under LED lighting in "Moonlight Mode": Hope you guys enjoyed! Stay tuned for more tank progress! Let me know your thoughts!

03/10/2011, 11:40 AM	#6
nano51 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 63	Welcome

03/10/2011, 12:50 PM	#10
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Love the tank so far, Drew! I definitely want to get that media basket, that sucker is sweet!

03/10/2011, 01:07 PM	#11
jaklos Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Pa Posts: 58	Looking good keep on posting

03/10/2011, 02:18 PM	#12
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Thanks! Excited to finally start owning a reef tank and taking proper care of it!

03/11/2011, 05:07 PM	#13
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Can anyone recommend me a few more fish? What do you think the max should be in a tank like this? I was thinking of getting a flame angel but from what I hear it wouldn't be a good idea given the small size and the angel's nature to nip at live rock / corals. I'm thinking of something maybe a bit less conventional, not firefish, thoughts?

03/11/2011, 09:02 PM	#14
markgsa Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: basement of the alamo Posts: 93	That zoa rock is awesome. Nice coloration on it.

03/11/2011, 10:20 PM	#15
robot2222 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: phoenix, arizonia Posts: 1,283	i am in the process 14 bc . your 14 looks sweet . i really like the new aquascape . keep up good work .

03/12/2011, 12:45 AM	#16
Tahoe69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lake Tahoe Posts: 309	+1 on the new scape! thanks looking awesome

03/12/2011, 02:25 AM	#17
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Thank you all so much for the kind words! Really appreciate it - gives me resolve for what I'm doing! I want a nice, big coral with a lot of movement for my next purchase - do you guys think that maybe a frogspawn (cheaper) or a torch (more expensive) would work?

03/12/2011, 07:45 AM	#18
schneidergarret Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Howell mi Posts: 225	looks very good i like the aquascape that you re did

03/12/2011, 08:34 AM	#19
pakarinen Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 36	Looks really good! Been thinking about getting back into SW with a BC14 - had a couple FO marine tanks 20(!) years ago, so inverts and corals would be a new adventure - and your pics have convinced me to go see what the LFSs have in stock.

03/12/2011, 09:19 AM	#20
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Awesome! Glad I could convince somebody to get back into the hobby! It's been my experience that my LFS has hidden gems in their coral tanks - top shelf frags often have a lot of nice surprises for cheap, and the one I go to has a buy one get one half off, so it ends up being very reasonable (though generally they're more expensive than online and other places).

03/13/2011, 12:53 AM	#21
Tahoe69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lake Tahoe Posts: 309	ive been looking at the torch at my lfs for the last month or so and i want it everytime i got in so i would say go with that!

03/13/2011, 08:14 AM	#22
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	Torch corals really are beautiful, but my LFS knows it; they want in excess of $100 for one thats like 4-5", it's kinda crazy. I'm worried that I'll overspend on corals and not end up getting my moneys worth. However, I really do want to throw a nice, big coral in their as the display piece while the smaller frags grow up. Also- can anyone tell me whether or not I should be dosing these corals to help them grow? What works? I'd like to avoid snake oil if possible, so I figured I'd ask here first.

03/13/2011, 07:10 PM	#24
Tahoe69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lake Tahoe Posts: 309	yeah tje torch here is around $70 so i get where your coming from. I use zooplex to feed my zoas once a week or so. I would say just dose with your normal 2 part

03/13/2011, 07:53 PM	#25
cculos Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 33	And how much faster will they grow as a result of that? Mine are growing pretty quickly as is, I see plenty of new sprouts all the time...