20 Gal Nano Reef Build thread!

[FishyFishy!]

I like it! Love how it wraps around. Looks like you're off to a great start so far.

[Reefie]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

I like it! Love how it wraps around. Looks like you're off to a great start so far.

+1 on the wrap-around

It's looking good so far, can't wait for more pics. Are you planning to go SPS?

Vertex has not released the 1-10V module to dim the Illumilux yet. I know cuz I've been waiting for the last 6 months. Haha!

One thing you can do is glue frags of Monti Cap just above the wrap-around. It's plastic there and should be very easy to accomplish with the super glue gel.

[ryanb69]

hey all! Thanks for the comments about the wrap around, I am definitely going to keep it. I just got my protein skimmer and I have it rigged up and in the tank. The shrimp is starting to decompose nicely and I am getting anxious to add clean up crew! Hopefully I can add some snails in a few weeks!


decomposing shrimp

clear tank

[ryanb69]

well the cycle is well under way (hopefully completed soon). I will be taking a sample of my water to my lfs later this week, and if everything measures well I will be adding a clean up crew! Here are some pictures of the decomposed shrimp, my skim(hows the color? too dry? too wet?), and the brown algae that has started to form on the sand bed!

What used to be a shrimp lol

Brown sand algae

possible hair algae? (mid picture)

current temp

my skim (hows the color look?)

the tank

[FishyFishy!]

Tank looks good! Is it me, or do you get different colored "spot lighting" effects shown on the rocks from your LED unit? May just be the picture.

Skimmate looks good for a cycling tank for sure.

Diatoms on the sand is a good sign of a cycle starting!


OH.... and that shrimp is friggin disgusting. lol

[ryanb69]

Thanks fishy! The lighting in the tank look perfect with no spotting when the power head is not running and there is not current. As soon as the powerless starts up the tank gets a serious shimmer effect and that's what appears as spot lighting in the picture, and yes lol the shrimp gets more and more disgusting with each day!

[ryanb69]

the clean up crew has entered the tank! I got my water tested at bayside corals and everything is good so I picked up a cleanup crew. It has:
1 Narcerius Snail (they only had one)
5 Blue legged Hermits
4 Astrea Snails

Its awesome to finally see something moving in the tank! Next week I hope to maybe add my first fish. It will be a clown fish, but I am still trying to decide what species I would like! I want to have a mated pair, so I will be buying 2!

Heres some snaily photos





Narcerius Snail burrowed in



The shrimp after one night with the snails! They picked it apart



A very popular rock

[NastayNatron]

Looking good man! Lookin forward to seeing some fish in there!

[ryanb69]

The fish are officially in the tank. I got an orange ocellaris and a black ocellaris. I acclimated them with airling tubing, tying 2 knots in it to get a proper drip. I added some carbon (2 tbsp) to the back to help with keeping the water clear. here are some pics


aclimating

the clowns

Marlin

Bagheera

the two hangin

[ryanb69]

Wow! how far the tank has come in 2 short weeks amazed me. The coraline algae has spread all over and now all my rock is turning purple I picked up my first coral and shrimp today, so that was also very exciting! I bought some green zoanthids, and a duncan. The shrimp is a skunk cleaner. I dipped both my coral in Coral RX, and I drip acclimated my Shrimp for 1 hour and 15 minutes. I bought frozen mysis shrimp and fed my clowns their first frozen food (in my tank anyways) and they absolutely loved it. I have been Feeding new life spectrum pellets to them, so the mysis is definatly a great treat. The shrimp is nameless as of now, but I will update as soon as he gets an official name! Here are some pictures of my reef-in-the-making

Acclimation



Zooanthids



in tank



placement



opening



fully open

duncan



in tank



begininning to open



currently open to this



shrimp in tank



coral rx



mysis



side view of zoas, and duncan in the distance