Back in reefing after 15 years - 75 gallon new build canister filtered!

[MDReefguy]

Hey all, back in the game for the 1st time since Grad school, finally got the bug to turn my 75 gallon cichlid tank into a mixed reef.

Specs:
75 gallon Aqueon
FX6 with live rock rubble and matrix with Chemipure Blue
Innovative marine Heater
60 lbs dry rock and 10 lbs of live rock seed
Carib Sea special grade live sand (I rinsed it)
Nero 5
2x Kessil A360x lights with Printed Reef shades
Octo HOB Classic 1000 Skimmer (Haven't installed it yet)

Livestock: (Edited)
CUC: (Still pretty small for a 75 gallon)
5 Cerith, 5 Astrea, 5 Trochus, 5 nassarius snails
12 Blue leg and 4 Scarlet Hermits
1x Peppermint shrimp
1x Tiger Conch
1x Fire Red Cleaner Shrimp

Fish: (Edited)
1x Firefish
1x Captive bred Neon blue goby

Corals: (all small frags) (Edited)
Hammer
Torch
Duncan
GSP
Mushrooms
Various Zoas
Toadstool
2 Rockflower anemones
Candy Cane Coral
Favia
Favites
Cyphastrea

I've read a lot on this site, and have been following along with the Saltwateraquarium.com newbie tank build as well as watching lots of Jake Adams' Reef Builders Youtube videos, and tried to incorporate some of their best practices into my tank along with all the great info here.

I used Fritz Turbo start and the live rock to kickstart the cycle, had nitrates show up on about day 5, added the 2 fish and a few corals then, and have picked up a few corals every week since to try and add biodiversity to the tank, which seems to help towards the goal of stabilizing a new reef.

I've been testing every 3 days, Calcium (400), Alk (9), PH (8.2), salinity (1.025), Nitrate (3ish?) and Phosphate (0). Diatoms came on in week 2 and were gone by week 3. Parameters have been dead stable since I've set up the tank (5 ish weeks). No dosing yet, want to try and water change my way through year 1 and then watch trends. Haven't changed water yet either, I'm thinking next week, but maybe not necessary yet?

Anyways, I have a Fighting conch and Tailspot blenny coming from Dr Reef next week. I'm feeding very lightly right now, just a little frozen ( just scrape off of a mysis and fish egg cube) and some tiny pellets at night for the shrimp and CUC.

Anything I should be looking out for next, or things I should be doing now? I've read all about the Dino nightmares, or cyano, or fish diseases, and all that, but I figure I'm just going to let the tank chill and settle in for a few months before I do anything else.

Thanks for looking, and will try and update from time to time! Fingers crossed!

 

[Mav88]

Looking good! I would say to start small water changes. I also have a 75 and I prefer my 6 gallon water changes every week instead of 12 bi-weekly. I also don’t have a large consumption from corals.

 

[Stephen8169301]

Really liking the tank!

 

[MDReefguy]

Thanks for the kind words, as soon as I walk in the house I can look through the side of the tank, so I set it up like sort of a half peninsula, so that it kind of looks like one from the side. Starts with low rock as you look at it and then builds almost to the top on the far side. The fish can swim 360's no problem in it.

 

[MDReefguy]

And found this fella cruising around today, think its either a rock boring or mini pencil urchin, so tossed him back in.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Great looking tank!

 

[MDReefguy]

Low light photo attached, just did my first water change today, changed 10 gallons. Went through a brief dust algae or bacterial bloom a few days ago but everything cleared up quickly. Peppermint shrimp molted, as did a few hermits, and everything seems to be plugging along. Waiting on a tiger conch and tailspot from Dr Reef, and then I think I might finally set the skimmer up! Rock flower anemones and LPS's have all been spot feed this weekend and seem to be growing a bit.

 

[MDReefguy]

Small update, just hit about 8 weeks on the tank, some light brown dust algae on the sand but pretty clean otherwise. Snails have started breeding, and Coraline algae is starting to spread a bit around the tank. Added a fire red cleaner shrimp, Tailspot Blenny, Tiger Conch, small serpent star, and some more corals and rock flower anemones.

Parameters are still staying stable, I did a 15 gallon water change at the 6 week mark (Instant ocean salt), and am going to change another 15 next week.

CA 420, Alk 9, PH 8.2, Salinity 1.025, Nitrates 5, Phosphate still 0, but my hanna checker arrived today so could be a little above.

I feed the tank Reef Frenzy nano during the day, and a few Hikari Marine nano pellets at lights out for the CUC and to add a little phosphate hopefully. Still no dosing, and I haven't set up the skimmer yet.

Pushed my Kessil Lights up to 65% during the peak from 60% I had been running. Corals are all growing and adding new heads and splitting and such.

I feel like adding seeded Live Rock and corals early from different sources has really helped the stability of the tank. Corals so far from LFS, Tidal gardens, and Saltwateraquarium.com

Have a Royal gramma and Biota CB Chalk bass and Royal gramma coming next week from Dr Reef!

Thanks for looking!

 

[FUNGI]

Nice stuff. I have 125G running 3 FX6's filled with LR rubble and a skimmer with 10% WC on Saturdays.....have fun!

 

[MDReefguy]

Nice stuff. I have 125G running 3 FX6's filled with LR rubble and a skimmer with 10% WC on Saturdays.....have fun!

Quick question, how often do you clean or service the FX6s? Trying to figure out a schedule with the filter!

Thanks!

 

[MDReefguy]

Weekly testing update:

Salinity: 1.025
Ph 8.4
KH 9
Ca 400
Phosphate .1
Nitrate 5

 

[MDReefguy]

Water-changed yesterday, did about 20 gallons or so. 15 gallons in the display and opened up and cleaned the canister and put clean water in there too. Surprisingly clean for 2 months. Barely had to rinse the sponges, and the chemipure blue that I changed out was still had fairly white media, but wasn't sure about the carbon part so just put a new one in. Hannah phosphate checker arrived and sitting about .1 or so.

Few new arrivals today, put in a skunk cleaner, pithos crab, 2 head gold torch, and a small sinularia. Also attaching a few photos of things that are splitting and growing! Green hammer, candy cane, Duncan, and ricordea.

Thanks for looking!

 

[Pntbll687]

NICE!!

Just keep up with cleaning out the canister and it will be fine.

If you need inspiration for what a canister filter can do. Check out this tank

 

[FUNGI]

Quick question, how often do you clean or service the FX6s? Trying to figure out a schedule with the filter!

Thanks!

I clean the sponge at the bottom (to protect intake on pump) once every 6 months. No other service needed.

 

[MDReefguy]

I clean the sponge at the bottom (to protect intake on pump) once every 6 months. No other service needed.

Fascinating. Do you have the rest of the sponges around the perimeter installed? And any in the center of the canister?

 

[FUNGI]

Fascinating. Do you have the rest of the sponges around the perimeter installed? And any in the center of the canister?

No. No other sponges....canisters are just full of LR rubble.
Nitrate been floating in the 5 range Never above 10. I do 10% WC every Saturday. I dont test for anything else....
I have a complete ecosystem in there LOl.....sponges, worms, etc etc

 

[MDReefguy]

No. No other sponges....canisters are just full of LR rubble.
Nitrate been floating in the 5 range Never above 10. I do 10% WC every Saturday. I dont test for anything else....
I have a complete ecosystem in there LOl.....sponges, worms, etc etc

Last question, do you have a skimmer or any fine polishing media? Think I may pull the sponges next water change!

 

[FUNGI]

I have a 120G and Icecap K3-250 (overkill), refugium and running 3 FX6's.......

 

[FUNGI]

Mixed Reef.

 

[MDReefguy]

Mixed Reef.

Sick tank. So all HOB stuff? I'm determined to not install the HOB skimmer I bought, but would like to mod a HOB tidal filter for a refugium. Still may have to stick the skimmer on!