A-Jay’s Reef: New Build, Corals, & Clownfish!

[A-Jay]

Hello Reef2Reef Community!
I’m thrilled to share my new tank setup, which is about 2 weeks old! It was set up with established rock from an established tank, so I believe it’s already cycled, but I could be wrong. I’m fairly new to the hobby, and I’d love to get your thoughts and advice. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Tank Specs:​

• Size: 100L (26 gallons)
• Dimensions: 31" L x 16" D x 12" W (~80cm x 40cm x 30cm)
• Lighting: 2 x iLuminaire V2 50W LEDs, mounted 6 inches above the water
• Heating: D-D 300W Titanium Heater with a D-D Heater Controller
• Flow: 5W Wave Maker for additional circulation

Filtration:​

• Filters: Fluval 307 and Betta 1050 canister filters
• Plumbing Setup: Both filters are plumbed together with PVC pipe, sharing a single inlet and outlet
• Filtration Media: 2kg of Seachem Matrix added

Water and Substrate:​

• Water: Premixed saltwater from a marine store
• Rock: Live rock from an established tank
• Sand: 1kg of CaribSea live sand

Fish:​

• Species: 2 Clownfish, 3 Mollies, and 2 Damsels (Evil Little devils)

Corals:​

• Types: Mostly soft corals—Mushrooms, GSP, and Gorgonia; 6 coral frags in total

Additives/Feeding: (started today)​

• All-For-Reef: Recently dosed 5 ml
• Reef-Roids: Recently fed 1/4 teaspoon

Lighting Schedule:

1. 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM: 10% White, 20% Blue, 5% Red
2. 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM: 50% White, 70% Blue, 20% Red
3. 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: 80% White, 90% Blue, 30% Red (Peak)
4. 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM: 50% White, 70% Blue, 20% Red
5. 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: 10% White, 60% Blue, 5% Red

Feel free to ask questions or offer suggestions. I’m here to learn and connect with fellow reefers. Thanks for stopping by and happy reefing!
A-Jay

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Love the aquascape design! Following along!

 

[A-Jay]

Love the aquascape design! Following along!

Thank you The picture isn't the best but will keep it updated as i move through the adventure

 

[AetherealKnight]

Looks awesome A-Jay! Make sure to quarantine all fish and corals before putting into the tank, to prevent ich and velvet fish disease.

When I first started reefing in 2017, I had no clue that I needed to quarantine fish or corals I ended getting velvet and it wiped out my tank and all my new fish in a few days. (Lost ~$300 that week) So just make sure you have an extra 10 gallon tank so where you can observe your fish and treat them if needed. If you're already doing that then that's great! Alternatively your local reef store may also quarantine fish and corals for you.

 

[A-Jay]

Tj

Looks awesome A-Jay! Make sure to quarantine all fish and corals before putting into the tank, to prevent ich and velvet fish disease.

When I first started reefing in 2017, I had no clue that I needed to quarantine fish or corals I ended getting velvet and it wiped out my tank and all my new fish in a few days. (Lost ~$300 that week) So just make sure you have an extra 10 gallon tank so where you can observe your fish and treat them if needed. If you're already doing that then that's great! Alternatively your local reef store may also quarantine fish and corals for you.

Thank you i have a spare tank but would need to buy more lights to turn it into a quarantine tank appriciate the advice though will certainly look into it and take it into account

 

[A-Jay]

Howdy Reef2Reef Community,

I wanted to share an important update on my tank journey. Unfortunately, I ran into some issues after upgrading to a 150L tank, but I’ve made some progress since then, and things are finally looking up!

The Setback:
After upgrading from the 100L to a 150L tank, I made a mistake by using some improperly cleaned bleached sand, which caused my Alkalinity to spike over 20. Sadly, I lost my original clownfish and damsels, as well as one of the mollies. It was a tough lesson, but thankfully, by some miracle, the corals and invertebrates survived.

What’s Changed:
New Tank Setup:

• Tank Size: 150L (upgrade from 100L)
• Rock: Added a new large piece of live rock to help with biological filtration
• Livestock: I now have 3 new clownfish, 1 Tang, 1 Goby, 2 mollies, a shrimp, and a new addition—an anemone!
• Corals: All my soft corals made it through, and they seem to be thriving again.

Current Status:
After the crash, I’ve been extra cautious, and I’m happy to report that everything seems to be thriving once again. I’m keeping an eye on parameters closely, and so far, no further issues.

Bonus Update:
My old 100L tank has been recycled and turned into a Coldwater marine tank. I’m using natural seawater, sand, and rocks from Morecambe Bay, and it’s currently housing a crab! It’s been an interesting project, and I’m excited to see how it progresses.

Feel free to share any advice or ask questions. I’m still learning from this incredible hobby and appreciate all the help from this community. Thanks again for reading, and happy reefing!

A-Jay

 

[Reefer2.0]

Sorry to say that tan needs at least a 75 gallon. Preferably bigger I would trade it back for a dwarf angelfish or something.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Have to agree, that the tank is too small for a tang. Tangs need a lot of room to swim around in and 150L (40g) is not that much space for them.