Enigma's 12 Gallon Reef (AIO)

[Enigma]

Crashed cycle!

Oops. My bad.

Ammonia is 8+ (my test only goes up to 8). Nitrites and Nitrates are almost zero.

I figured I was pushing it with how much fish food i was adding to this tank. Then one morning late last week I put way too much in. My carpool was waiting out front, and I figured it would be okay if I just siphoned out the over abundance of food when I got home from work.

I'm sure it would have been: had I remembered to do so.

I'll do a big water change tomorrow, see if I can get the ammonia down to three or so, and then start over.

Drat. Lesson number 20 (or something like that) in three weeks of "reefing." I use that term loosely to describe my activities so far.

[Enigma]

So, the cycle appears to be doing what it is supposed to be doing now: more or less. Ammonia has fallen quite a bit (down to 0.5ppm on the API test this morning), Nitrites are through the roof (5+ on the API test), and Nitrates are 10-25ppm (ELOS test).

I have put in two small pieces of live rock from my other tank.

I tossed in a cube of frozen brine. I'm thinking that should probably reflect the amount of food I'll be adding on a daily basis: between the fish that will go in here and at least one CUC member who will need to be supplemented.

My little guy is insisting that he wants two clowns in there. "Nemo" must have another clown family member with him. I do really like the idea of the Clown and the Orchid Dotty, though.

[ScubaSteve]

A pair of clowns would be cool if they paired up. You could get a robust coral with lots of tentacles that can do low light, like a Duncan, that could stand up to their tough love if they decide to host it (I had a clown host my sinularia and Duncan).

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

A pair of clowns would be cool if they paired up. You could get a robust coral with lots of tentacles that can do low light, like a Duncan, that could stand up to their tough love if they decide to host it (I had a clown host my sinularia and Duncan).

I think a Duncan would be wonderful in that spot (I just Googled it). It think it is probably something I will be able to manage quite well, too. It should also do a good job of hiding my sloppy epoxy job (photo was taken before I got busy with the epoxy). It is a nice bonus if the clown(s) might take to it.

It looks like they might be on the challenging side to track down. Being an LPS I imagine they prefer a more established aquarium?

[ScubaSteve]

Duncans are one of the most hardy, easy to care for LPS. Give them light and flow and they could stand up to a nuclear blast. Not that hard to find either. Put out a call here on CR for a few heads and I'm sure someone in your area will have some. Wait a month or two for your tank to settle down a bit then you're good to go. I got a Duncan for my very first tank only a couple weeks after setting up and never had a problem.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

Duncans are one of the most hardy, easy to care for LPS. Give them light and flow and they could stand up to a nuclear blast. Not that hard to find either. Put out a call here on CR for a few heads and I'm sure someone in your area will have some. Wait a month or two for your tank to settle down a bit then you're good to go. I got a Duncan for my very first tank only a couple weeks after setting up and never had a problem.

Thank you for your suggestions . . . that sounds like a very good plan

[b16a2]

Enigma,

Great progress! Very ecouraging to see another AIO setup as I am a big fan of them aswell.
Curious though, how do you plan on having your filter chambers set up. I believe you have 3 in the back correct? Will you be running carbon? Skimmer?

Please continue to post pictures!