Hello, my name is Dan, I’ve been in the reef keeping hobby for 4 months.
In October 2023 I tore down a fresh water rimless, bought a running 20g AIO (livestock included), and transferred the live rock, several coral, a pair of clowns and a few hermit crabs into my 45cm cube.
Before:
After:
I had rescaped the rock, added some of my own, and bought an octospawn (which isn’t doing to well actually) and macroalgae.
Personally, visible heaters, intakes and probes etc. are not acceptable lol. This is a significant compromise to using a canister vs a sump (among others). Coming from fresh water however, and already possessing a canister, I chose the benefit of a closed system, rather than an open sump which subjects the entire cabinet to salt creep (completely unacceptable!)
This is the story of how I got from here to a 40gallon rimless, running a canister filter and reverse under gravel system, home to 60+ species of marine life.
The current state of things is, well, controlled chaos:
Next up:
- ph controlled kalkwasser
- custom diy acrylic surface skimmer
- using a bathroom vanity as an aquarium stand
- eKoral doser / auto water change / supplements
- whatever else comes to mind
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share and learn from this community I hope to at least post sporadically.
Happy reefing,
Dan
In October 2023 I tore down a fresh water rimless, bought a running 20g AIO (livestock included), and transferred the live rock, several coral, a pair of clowns and a few hermit crabs into my 45cm cube.
Before:
After:
I had rescaped the rock, added some of my own, and bought an octospawn (which isn’t doing to well actually) and macroalgae.
Personally, visible heaters, intakes and probes etc. are not acceptable lol. This is a significant compromise to using a canister vs a sump (among others). Coming from fresh water however, and already possessing a canister, I chose the benefit of a closed system, rather than an open sump which subjects the entire cabinet to salt creep (completely unacceptable!)
This is the story of how I got from here to a 40gallon rimless, running a canister filter and reverse under gravel system, home to 60+ species of marine life.
The current state of things is, well, controlled chaos:
Next up:
- ph controlled kalkwasser
- custom diy acrylic surface skimmer
- using a bathroom vanity as an aquarium stand
- eKoral doser / auto water change / supplements
- whatever else comes to mind
Thank you so much for this opportunity to share and learn from this community I hope to at least post sporadically.
Happy reefing,
Dan