lordthaxto
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Tank started Dec 31st 2020.
I would like to start out by saying I very recently started this hobby. I have two fresh water tanks that are about 3 months old now. I wanted more... and so here we are.
I went to my LFS ( Austin Aqua Dome ) :
And purchased a starter kit for 610$. The kit contained :
1 BioCube 32
20 lbs live rock
20 lbs live sand
35g of pre-mixed saltwater
6 five-gallon aquarium jugs
In addition to the above, I bought an extra 15lbs of live rock, a heater, and a nano power head ( dont recall brand, but cheapo, plan to replace eventually ).
*EDIT
I cycled the rock / sand for a day to let it clear up. Since this tank has live rock and live sand, I could add basically right away. I was told NOT to add them all at once. here is the timeline.
Added a shrimp and a hermit crab first, two days later the two clowns, two days after that 2 more peppermint shrimp, and finally two more days later that I added the firefish goby.
First arrangement with only clowns, shrimp, and hermit :
Ammonia was being detected, but less than the first color zone of my API tester kit. So I assume it will just always show like that, nitrite never spiked. Only thing going up so far is nitrate, which I did my first 5 gallon change on sunday ( 1 change a week is the goal ). Nitrate currently shows between the 0ppm and 5.0ppm colors for my API test kit.
During all this I moved the rocks around a bit ( like a million times ), and also here is the goby :
I cycled with fish for a bit, then... I started buying coral ( two leathers, two LPS, and I think a mushroom? ). In order to grow these amazing little creatures, I had to remove the lid on my BioCube and add a RedSea 90 LED : ;Greedy :
The taped on stuff will be removed when my 3d printed shader arrives from Eel Rover Coral :
I am also having a mesh lid created because I have the goby ( currently it has a cave and feels safe there, so no jumping... hopefully ).
Lid is coming from Octo Lids :
Currently, I dont have any media outside the standard filter that comes with the biocube. The rocks / sand are keeping up with the biomass so far. I will turn off the pump when feeding to help reduce waste sucked into the back. I ordered an intank media trey to make room for either a HOB skimmer or something else in chamber two. So more upgrades in the works, and pictures of 3d printer add-ons later as well.
I will add my corals in a future edit, as I need to sort out names on a few. And also find a way to take a pic, as the current light wrecks my camera exposure.
I would like to start out by saying I very recently started this hobby. I have two fresh water tanks that are about 3 months old now. I wanted more... and so here we are.
I went to my LFS ( Austin Aqua Dome ) :
Austin Aqua Dome freshwater pond aquarium
Austin Aqua Dome. Austin's most unique tropical fish store. Established 1998. Tropical fresh and marine fish, invertebrates, plants. Corals, Koi, Pond fish and pond plants.
www.austinaquadome.com
And purchased a starter kit for 610$. The kit contained :
1 BioCube 32
20 lbs live rock
20 lbs live sand
35g of pre-mixed saltwater
6 five-gallon aquarium jugs
In addition to the above, I bought an extra 15lbs of live rock, a heater, and a nano power head ( dont recall brand, but cheapo, plan to replace eventually ).
*EDIT
I cycled the rock / sand for a day to let it clear up. Since this tank has live rock and live sand, I could add basically right away. I was told NOT to add them all at once. here is the timeline.
Added a shrimp and a hermit crab first, two days later the two clowns, two days after that 2 more peppermint shrimp, and finally two more days later that I added the firefish goby.
First arrangement with only clowns, shrimp, and hermit :
Ammonia was being detected, but less than the first color zone of my API tester kit. So I assume it will just always show like that, nitrite never spiked. Only thing going up so far is nitrate, which I did my first 5 gallon change on sunday ( 1 change a week is the goal ). Nitrate currently shows between the 0ppm and 5.0ppm colors for my API test kit.
During all this I moved the rocks around a bit ( like a million times ), and also here is the goby :
I cycled with fish for a bit, then... I started buying coral ( two leathers, two LPS, and I think a mushroom? ). In order to grow these amazing little creatures, I had to remove the lid on my BioCube and add a RedSea 90 LED : ;Greedy :
The taped on stuff will be removed when my 3d printed shader arrives from Eel Rover Coral :
Eel River Coral 3D Printed Reef Aquarium Accessories and Light Shades
3d printed reef aquarium accessories, LED light shades for saltwater aquariums and marine life. Light shades for Ecotech, Kessil, Aqua Illumination Hydra. Light hoods, visors and baffles.
eelrivercoral.com
I am also having a mesh lid created because I have the goby ( currently it has a cave and feels safe there, so no jumping... hopefully ).
Lid is coming from Octo Lids :
Octo Lids™ – Octo Aquatics
octoaquatics.com
Octo Lids™
Octo Lids™ I've been making plastic mesh screen tops BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! I use 3/8" clear plastic and 1/4" clear mesh netting. Cutouts and feed doors are available upon request. If you have plastic trim on your tank, the lid will sit on the inside ledge of the trim. If you have a rimless...
www.reef2reef.com
Currently, I dont have any media outside the standard filter that comes with the biocube. The rocks / sand are keeping up with the biomass so far. I will turn off the pump when feeding to help reduce waste sucked into the back. I ordered an intank media trey to make room for either a HOB skimmer or something else in chamber two. So more upgrades in the works, and pictures of 3d printer add-ons later as well.
I will add my corals in a future edit, as I need to sort out names on a few. And also find a way to take a pic, as the current light wrecks my camera exposure.
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