OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Which one did you end up going with? Would also love to see your tank!
15 Gallon Nano - Waterbox Peninsula All in One (AIO) - Skip Cycle - Mixed Reef
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- Thread starter Macbalacano
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OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Jan 3 Update
Did some long overdue maintenance:
- Full battery of tests
- 20% water change
- Kill aiptasia
- Rinse/clean filter media and chambers
- Manual removal of some algae (including bubble algae)
- Moved and glued some corals on rocks
- Dipped an Octospawn which has some flatworms on it
Water Parameters:
N03: 2 ppm (low, need to get it higher)
P04: 0.09 ppm (very stable, would like to get a little lower)
Alk: 5.3 dKh (Yikes! I hadn't tested in a while and was shocked to see the results)
Salinity: 1.026 (stable)
Ca: 490 (stable)
Mg: 1470 (stable)
Main learnings today:
- I need to stick to weekly water changes (not biweekly), otherwise, I will have to start dosing to maintain Alk.
- My last tank, while 3x the size, did not have this many corals. I am amazed at how fast everything is growing and how quickly Alk is consumed.
- I was too aggressive with dipping the octospawn with a powerhead. Will be more gentle next time.
Current Issues:
- Hoping the flatworms are gone off the Octospawn or will have to keep dipping once a week.
- Scoly has a couple of exposed skeleton teeths. Hoping it will recover over time. Looks healthy otherwise
- One small blasto has been on the decline and losing flesh every day. I put it to a low flow / low light area, but am not hopeful it will recover. I think I placed it in too high flow of an area for too long when I had the larger Jebao SLW 10 still.
I will be doing 15% water changes every couple of days to bring up the Alk. Currently using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, which has a high Alk level once mixed.
Latest tank shots
Did some long overdue maintenance:
- Full battery of tests
- 20% water change
- Kill aiptasia
- Rinse/clean filter media and chambers
- Manual removal of some algae (including bubble algae)
- Moved and glued some corals on rocks
- Dipped an Octospawn which has some flatworms on it
Water Parameters:
N03: 2 ppm (low, need to get it higher)
P04: 0.09 ppm (very stable, would like to get a little lower)
Alk: 5.3 dKh (Yikes! I hadn't tested in a while and was shocked to see the results)
Salinity: 1.026 (stable)
Ca: 490 (stable)
Mg: 1470 (stable)
Main learnings today:
- I need to stick to weekly water changes (not biweekly), otherwise, I will have to start dosing to maintain Alk.
- My last tank, while 3x the size, did not have this many corals. I am amazed at how fast everything is growing and how quickly Alk is consumed.
- I was too aggressive with dipping the octospawn with a powerhead. Will be more gentle next time.
Current Issues:
- Hoping the flatworms are gone off the Octospawn or will have to keep dipping once a week.
- Scoly has a couple of exposed skeleton teeths. Hoping it will recover over time. Looks healthy otherwise
- One small blasto has been on the decline and losing flesh every day. I put it to a low flow / low light area, but am not hopeful it will recover. I think I placed it in too high flow of an area for too long when I had the larger Jebao SLW 10 still.
I will be doing 15% water changes every couple of days to bring up the Alk. Currently using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, which has a high Alk level once mixed.
Latest tank shots
I have a Jebao OW-10 and I run it on level 2 which is approx 260gph, and I have it pulse on and off so it isn’t a constant 260 non stop
I upgraded the return pump to a sicce .5, and I added a random flow generator to the return outlet
Now…I admit I have been slacking on this tank…I’ve been focusing on my 75g reef. But, I am just starting to get this 15g cleaned up and under control. I don’t mind sharing pics
First pic was before I added corals, the rock structure was custom made for the measurement of the tank, I had a bonsai type of inspiration
Second pic is 2 years later. I have algae outbreak to deal with. I had to move a few corals to my 75 temporarily, but everything is healthy and growing. Including algae lol.
Pic 3 and 4 is my newest addition, a nano algae turf scrubber. In about a month this tank will be naturally cleaned up. It fits perfectly in chamber 2
Attachments
Right now priority 1 is getting the algae under control. Then I will start to add more coral back in. I have a frag shelf in my 75 with a bunch ready to go
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OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Very cool, thanks very much for sharing. Definitely interested in hearing about your experience with the ATS down the road!
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Gorgeous corals, this will look amazing in your 15G!Right now priority 1 is getting the algae under control. Then I will start to add more coral back in. I have a frag shelf in my 75 with a bunch ready to go
Thank you! I am staying positive, thankfully it’s just algae and not a more serious problem. I could scrape and clean the shelves (all the bonsai platforms are removable) but I wanted a more long term fix so I am testing the nano scrubber.
I will let you know how it goes!
I will let you know how it goes!
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Jan 4 Updates
- I tried doing a 15% water change yesterday and it barely moved the alk level
- Decided to start dosing 2 part ESV B ionic, bought 1-gallon jugs of it today
- Based on my testing and observation over the past couple of days, the tank is currently consuming 0.4 dKh per day. 1 ml of alk adds 0.2 dKh to the tank. Will be dosing 2ml in the morning and 2ml at night to slowly bring up alk.
- Will aim to maintain alk at around 8 dKh.
- Still not sure what my current salt alk level is when mixed new at 1.026. Will check at the next water change. But everything I have read says that Reef Crystals is high on all.
Latest video below.
- I tried doing a 15% water change yesterday and it barely moved the alk level
- Decided to start dosing 2 part ESV B ionic, bought 1-gallon jugs of it today
- Based on my testing and observation over the past couple of days, the tank is currently consuming 0.4 dKh per day. 1 ml of alk adds 0.2 dKh to the tank. Will be dosing 2ml in the morning and 2ml at night to slowly bring up alk.
- Will aim to maintain alk at around 8 dKh.
- Still not sure what my current salt alk level is when mixed new at 1.026. Will check at the next water change. But everything I have read says that Reef Crystals is high on all.
Latest video below.
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OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Thank you for your kind words and following along on your tank thread also!
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Good ol fish poop! That’s it, I don’t feed anything else. The clowns are still juveniles so they are only taking brine at the moment. I feed them twice a day and basically feed only the amount they can finish. Almost never any extra that fall into the water column!
To be honest, I'm surprised also by the growth with doing so little. I now have to dose Alk. Currently it seems tank is consuming 0.5 - 1 dKh a day. Still trying to tune in the dosing.
jphilip813
Well-Known Member
System looks goodDecember 5 Update
Finally had time to arrange the corals on my rockwork.
Removed more frags from frag plugs where it looked like it wouldn't damage the coral.
Used a Dremel tool with a diamond cutting wheel (used for ceramics) to cut frag stems from remaining frags that I could not separate from the coral. I tried using a different Dremel cutting wheel and it did not work - definitely need the diamond cutting wheel to cut frag plugs / stems.
Pictures below show the end result. Not all corals are open and fluffy yet, so hoping by tomorrow they're all back to normal.
I ordered a Jebao SLW 10 and it should be arriving on the weekend. After running the Hygger Mini Wavemaker HG-951 on the back wall on various settings, I've concluded it is just way too much flow for my 15 Gallon tank, even at its lowest setting (which is 40%, you can't set it any lower). I have unplugged it for now.
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Thanks! I really feel like I owe a large part of the successful start to your skip cycle thread. Thank you your contributions to the community! You make R2R a great place to share and learn
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Thanks for your kind words!
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Jan 5 - 7 Update:
- I have been dosing between 4ml - 6ml of Alk and Cal the past couple days. Alk is now up to 6.5 dKh. Will continue until I get it up to 8 dKh and then tune/maintain. I expect this will go on for a few more days.
- Once I get Alk stabilized using 2 Part ESV B Ionic. I am thinking of switching to Tropic Marin All For Reef (AFR). Mostly to keep dosing easy/simple. I'd like to get a one head doser, like a Kamoer to dose it daily. I've been reading only good things about AFR.
- Received a coral lens filter kit as a New Year's gift. Simple and unedited shots taken on iPhone 15 Pro Max with yellow lens below.
- I have been dosing between 4ml - 6ml of Alk and Cal the past couple days. Alk is now up to 6.5 dKh. Will continue until I get it up to 8 dKh and then tune/maintain. I expect this will go on for a few more days.
- Once I get Alk stabilized using 2 Part ESV B Ionic. I am thinking of switching to Tropic Marin All For Reef (AFR). Mostly to keep dosing easy/simple. I'd like to get a one head doser, like a Kamoer to dose it daily. I've been reading only good things about AFR.
- Received a coral lens filter kit as a New Year's gift. Simple and unedited shots taken on iPhone 15 Pro Max with yellow lens below.
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jphilip813
Well-Known Member
What's the name of the Coral lens filter kit that you are using? is it on Amazon?Jan 5 - 7 Update:
- I have been dosing between 4ml - 6ml of Alk and Cal the past couple days. Alk is now up to 6.5 dKh. Will continue until I get it up to 8 dKh and then tune/maintain. I expect this will go on for a few more days.
- Once I get Alk stabilized using 2 Part ESV B Ionic. I am thinking of switching to Tropic Marin All For Reef (AFR). Mostly to keep dosing easy/simple. I'd like to get a one head doser, like a Kamoer to dose it daily. I've been reading only good things about AFR.
- Received a coral lens filter kit as a New Year's gift. Simple and unedited shots taken on iPhone 15 Pro Max with yellow lens below.
OP
OP
Macbalacano
Recovering Reef Addict
Yes: Aquarium Choice Coral Lens Filter Kits for Phone https://a.co/d/2kG1Q1x
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