24 Cube SPS reef tank build

[Project]

month updates:

- Changed out LED from AI Prime and Hydra to 1xRadion Xr-15 g5 pro. Using AB+. Oct 15th.


-Changed ESV 2part dosing to 1part AFR Oct 28th. Dosed 12hrs only

-Dosing kalk 24hrs atm via dosing pump. (It’s helping my pH stay at 7.9 to 8.22) (Oct 31st)

-Dosing Redsea trace Elements (ABCD) on a doser. All my minor trace are low. One of the reason I changed to all for reef for additional trace elements (Oct 11th)

-vinegar dosing via pump for carbon source (Oct 2nd). Vodka is too strong of Carbon source. I only add 1ml per day.

-Culturing tisbe and apocalypse pods atm. Gave up on tigger pods and phytoplankton culturing. I had no real success with phytoplankton culturing but zooplankton has been successful. Been adding pods weekly for my mandarin goby

-Poseidon Chaeto reactor offline due to its effectiveness (Reactor may been too big for my system.)

-Retrying Santa Monica drop 1.2 scrubber in the sump

-Added batch of SPS frags on Nov 1st

-Feed 3 times a day due to low nutrient

-5Gallon water change per week

Parameters:

Alk: 8.8 - 8.4. Tested twice a week or 3 times. Always at 6pm.
Calcium: 458-413. Tested once a week on the weekend when testing alk.
Magnesium: 1400ish. Never needed to dose magnesium.
Nitrate: 8.5-6.5. Finally settling down without dosing needed Tested twice a week
Phosphate: 0.04-0.01 Finally settling down without dosing needed. Twice a week

 

[Gumbies R Us]

month updates:

- Changed out LED from AI Prime and Hydra to 1xRadion Xr-15 g5 pro. Using AB+. Oct 15th.


-Changed ESV 2part dosing to 1part AFR Oct 28th. Dosed 12hrs only

-Dosing kalk 24hrs atm via dosing pump. (It’s helping my pH stay at 7.9 to 8.22) (Oct 31st)

-Dosing Redsea trace Elements (ABCD) on a doser. All my minor trace are low. One of the reason I changed to all for reef for additional trace elements (Oct 11th)

-vinegar dosing via pump for carbon source (Oct 2nd). Vodka is too strong of Carbon source. I only add 1ml per day.

-Culturing tisbe and apocalypse pods atm. Gave up on tigger pods and phytoplankton culturing. I had no real success with phytoplankton culturing but zooplankton has been successful. Been adding pods weekly for my mandarin goby

-Poseidon Chaeto reactor offline due to its effectiveness (Reactor may been too big for my system.)

-Retrying Santa Monica drop 1.2 scrubber in the sump

-Added batch of SPS frags on Nov 1st

-Feed 3 times a day due to low nutrient

-5Gallon water change per week

Parameters:

Alk: 8.8 - 8.4. Tested twice a week or 3 times. Always at 6pm.
Calcium: 458-413. Tested once a week on the weekend when testing alk.
Magnesium: 1400ish. Never needed to dose magnesium.
Nitrate: 8.5-6.5. Finally settling down without dosing needed Tested twice a week
Phosphate: 0.04-0.01 Finally settling down without dosing needed. Twice a week

Tank looks like it is doing great!

 

[Project]

Tank looks like it is doing great!

I think it’s doing good so far. I had 3 month of stagnant due to my mistakes but everything seems doing good. Thank you <><

 

[lubeck]

Nice build and glad things are settling in again.

The trident saved me many times with my sps nano for when to adjust for two part. Whether they were thriving or stalling out, I’m able to make adjustments within the same day If needed.

I’m working on nutrient export since water changes are my only export besides a very Small fuge

 

[Thizz]

Love the tank!

 

[Project]

17 month updates:
- 5Gal water change per week
- Added co2 scrubber from BRS Black Friday sale (online yesterday). Seems to raise 0.1 at peak. Only been a day. I bought a thing to make it a recirculating.
- Started using little bit of gfo and activated carbon in a bag 24hrs
- Added medium size Grammistes blenny
-Added small red tuxedo urchin (Nov 24th)
-have some turf alage growing in some patches on the rock and the back wall

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Nice build and glad things are settling in again.

The trident saved me many times with my sps nano for when to adjust for two part. Whether they were thriving or stalling out, I’m able to make adjustments within the same day If needed.

I’m working on nutrient export since water changes are my only export besides a very Small fuge

Did you have the trident from day 1? Can you elaborate more on your experiences and how necessary you’ve found it to be?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

17 month updates:
- 5Gal water change per week
- Added co2 scrubber from BRS Black Friday sale (online yesterday). Seems to raise 0.1 at peak. Only been a day. I bought a thing to make it a recirculating.
- Started using little bit of gfo and activated carbon in a bag 24hrs
- Added medium size Grammistes blenny
-Added small red tuxedo urchin (Nov 24th)
-have some turf alage growing in some patches on the rock and the back wall

Tank is looking great!

 

[Project]

Today is one of those sad days . My cherub angelfish took a dive and died. Granted they’re suitable for Nano, maybe in a 40-60 gallon and bigger will be best for them. Sad sad sad.

Other than that, I am battling cyano bacteria atm. Currently just on the sand but spreading

I am usinf little by little. I’ve added uv but not helping.
Fun fun fun.


Excuse the glasses. Didn’t clean it. Added IM’s uv sterilizer. Cyano in front.

Just remove it to the rollermat.
I took vinegar offline and will dose mb7 and very small amount.


Angelfish went on a dive -.-; He was most active and fun to watch. No Lid in the future.

 

[Project]

am currently battling and beating algae infestation in my nano from adding some needed snails (about 10) and one large halloween urchin who is working overtime cleaning the back wall atm. Just wanted to share in case someone was having algae issues.

I also went and taken out the turf scrubber and stop dosing vinegar. And UV. Because Uv didn’t help with this cyano. I will be doing water changes by-weekly. For I know my tank has always had issue with low nutrients granted I have algae. I probably will re-incorpo turf scrubber later if my nutrients arise to the point where it needs more filtration.


Here are my dosing regimen:
-1 liter per day of fully saturated kalkwasser on doser 24/7. My evaporation is just little over 1 liter per day atm.
-10ml All for reef per day dosed btw 7am to 7pm
-2.5 ml of Liq nitrate dosed at 10pm (upto 7ml in the past). That’s when I gotten Algae’s on the wall and the rocks
-1.0 ml of liquid phosphate dosed at 9pm (upto 2ml in the past).
-2ml Aquavitro Seed bacteria in the morning (just want more diversity of bacterias and maybe this will help?!). I also am dosing mb7 once a week.
-Adding 10oz of esv calcium and 5oz of ESV magnesium when doing water changes
-Feed twice a day


Tank parameters:
Alk: 9.0-8.5. Currently around 8.7
Calcium:?
Magnisium:?
Naitrate: 8.5. currently above 5.0 and below 8.5.
Phosphate: 0.05. Currently at 0.03.
PH: This has been stabilized by using co2 scrubber. Goes from 7.95-8.25ish

This is my pH chart after installing the co2 scrubber. As you can see how stable the pH is. I do have recirculating adopter for it but currently not using it. Will see how long this media last on a nano.

Before scrubber, I was trying to fight low pH with water changes and that didn’t work as well.

ek before is even worst. You can see when I do water changes because there will be big jump in pH. It’s always been this way but I expect much more stable pH.

Picture from Sunday. See all the algae I. The back wall and the rocks. Also changed my powerhead position to give more viewing

Today (Wednesday) Most of algae is gone on the back wall

Side view of the wall

And my new blenny went over to overflow box and I can’t get him out -.-; (Currently have clear bottle with some pallet hopping to fish him out when he get in it). Maybe!??! If I get him out, he will be sold back to the store. I got hector’s goby who has same shape and pattern

 

[Project]

Ha, caught the guy x.x

 

[Project]

Second attempt at making Hammer garden.

These hammer corals are getting too big for this small nano and also been having to move them every time I vacuum the sand bed so I put them all on a small rock from my sump. Turned out pretty good. Happy new years <><

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Second attempt at making Hammer garden.

These hammer corals are getting too big for this small nano and also been having to move them every time I vacuum the sand bed so I put them all on a small rock from my sump. Turned out pretty good. Happy new years <><

I like the hammer garden!

 

[Project]

Thank you. I have few empty spots to add more corals on the sand bed. Thinking about anemone for my clowns. Will see.

 

[Project]

Step 1: Get parameters in range
(Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium)

Step 2: Get nutrients in range
(Nitrate,Phosphate)

Step 3: Get pH in range (Higher above 8.0)

Step 4: Get minor trace in range (minor traces to recommended level)

I am at the Step 4. (Year and half in). I went and tested my water via ICP MS (In sept and In Dec). After couple month of correction (Back from step 1). to see if there are any issues that I can’t tell. Everything was back on track but there were some minor traces that’s been flat line since first test.

I been doing regular 5Gallon water changes a week. On about 30Gallon total system.
I been dosing kalk at night
I been dosing AFR for 8hr

I was hopping I will see some minor trace registered but it didn’t. (I think most of these are what they consider “dailies” by Moon shiner method).

I’ve been using AFR for over two month in place of esv 3pt for this purpose as well. But yellow lined traces were still showing zero. Which I am going to collect next.

I have Red Sea Trace color abcd on doser atm. I heard bad stories about these but I free ones and tested to go with it granted I can’t seems to work out right. Feels like color blinded when I do these Red Sea ones. I remember Salifert being really good test kits and may go that route later if needed.

Funny thing is these 8 minerals that are missing are all components of C&D. Which consists of Iron+ and others (d). I guess my tank was lacking of iron. Some factors are having ATS scrubber and Nano tank is different from large tank for sure.
Currently dosing more CD.

In September 19th sample, I did expect the Alkalility to be high but not that high. Also was using lugor’s solution trying to see if that helped. Many issues killed most of my corals for not collecting it. -.-;

Test result from December (Most of minor traces are flat lined or gotten even more depleted)

 

[Project]

1 year 6month update:
-Cyano is gone on its own.
-Bought me tailspot blenny
-Bought Few cyphastria corals


Changed light from xr15 pro to xr30 blue (gen5’s). Initially wanted to add two blade but when I got it, it didn’t look pleasing and chouldnt find the proper mounting kit (sold out) so I returned it and find xr-30.

Changed out 3x Nero3 to 2x hygger gyre wave makers. Super cheap. I’ve got 4yr extended warranty thru Amazon. I’ve picked this over jebao after doing some research. Very easy to disassemble and very quiet. Both has smallest footprint for gyre wavemaker which is reason I’ve picked this over other expensive ones. Probably make a move once they become smaller footprint.
This is my first time using gyre pump and so far I like the flow that I’m getting. I have one on random and on pulse cross flow pattern.

Corals are starting to grow again.

My nitrate is around 8-9 and phosphate is around 0.8.

Dkh 8.8 calcium 435 Mag 1350

Ph is average at 8.24

 

[lubeck]

Nice light upgrade

 

[Project]

Front tank Shot:

-Gyre pumps are making wave motions and making my hammer corals fluffier. I think it’s something I should have done long time ago -.-

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Front tank Shot:

-Gyre pumps are making wave motions and making my hammer corals fluffier. I think it’s something I should have done long time ago -.-

Hammers are looking good!

 

[Project]

Took a top down shot while feeding Sebae Anemone that I’ve added. You can see him in the back wall. He moved about few inches from where I put ‘em (right below where clowns sleep). and seems to found a home near the overflow.