Gaki's Advanced Acrylics Super Shallow Mushy Tank

[gaki]

Hey everyone,
I'm going to start a super shallow (6 inches tall) frag tank (the 6x18x18 by advanced acrylics) for my mushrooms but I've got a question or two.

My plan is to transfer most if not all of my mushrooms into this tank and have it as a place for new frags. Right now, they are in my main display (a nuvo 20) in a corner devoted to them with lots and lots of rubble. If I move all of this rubble, which is just small chunks of live rock, into the new tank and also use water and filter media from the 20 gallon, will the tank be instantly cycled?

Also since mushrooms like dirtier water and I'm not planning on having any fish in this new tank ATM, will feeding pellets (which my mushies love) heavily help keep nutrients up?

TIA for any help and I'm really excited for this build. Also I haven't seen anyone on here with this tank yet so if you've got one don't hesitate share your experience - I'm curious to see how this goes

 

[lapin]

Nice idea

 

[LRT]

Hey everyone,
I'm going to start a super shallow (6 inches tall) frag tank (the 6x18x18 by advanced acrylics) for my mushrooms but I've got a question or two.

My plan is to transfer most if not all of my mushrooms into this tank and have it as a place for new frags. Right now, they are in my main display (a nuvo 20) in a corner devoted to them with lots and lots of rubble. If I move all of this rubble, which is just small chunks of live rock, into the new tank and also use water and filter media from the 20 gallon, will the tank be instantly cycled?

Also since mushrooms like dirtier water and I'm not planning on having any fish in this new tank ATM, will feeding pellets (which my mushies love) heavily help keep nutrients up?

TIA for any help and I'm really excited for this build. Also I haven't seen anyone on here with this tank yet so if you've got one don't hesitate share your experience - I'm curious to see how this goes

Def following along. The more rock/media from mature system the better. I just instacycled my shroom lagoon and had it full with over 100 shrooms and 3 fish within 24hrs. I used my cured 18-25 yr old gulf Ocean rock at 1lb/gallon.
How old/mature is your system your taking rock from? Is it Ocean rock?
Your also going to want to run UV first month or so because you most likely will experience the usually cloudy water bloom in any new tank.
Biggest thing your going to face is keeping params identical to system rock is pulled from.
Expect mag, cal and alk consumption just like you would in your system your pulling rock from. Expect that first week.
If you keep params locked in to mature systems params to the best of your ability you shouldn't have any issues.
Put rock in with cuc first 24 hrs. Soon as its wet. Feed cuc just enough to eat.
Repeat day 2. Watch ammonia. Load with livestock once the ammonia dissapears.

 

[gaki]

The rock is just caribsea live rock that has been in the tank for a few months, but the tank itself is a few years old. I know I should, but I don’t really test very often and my mushies are doing just fine. What I might do is put in a cheaply ric and see how it does after a few days. Also I’m assuming I’ll need to do a few water changes within the first week?

 

[gaki]

Also I’ve been following on the shroom lagoon and this is kinda inspired by that lol. Pleasant surprise to have the one and only LRT

 

[LRT]

Also I’ve been following on the shroom lagoon and this is kinda inspired by that lol. Pleasant surprise to have the one and only LRT

Thank you for kind words!
Here's the deal. I would not do a fully stocked instacycled tank unless I could achieve at least 1lb/gallon with your 3yr old rock. Yes you aBsoloutely can instacycle a tank. BRS did it in 48hrs fully stocked. They do it all the time at coral swaps and such.
However instacycle does not mean you will not go through typical PH and param swings, bacterial cloud blooms and everything else that comes with a "new tank"
Your going to need the bacterial bioload more than ever to handle those swings because in and of itself its challenging enough to set up new tank and throwing in the instacycle part you will already have your hands full.
Can you snag enough rock from your 3yr old tank?

 

[LRT]

The rock is just caribsea live rock that has been in the tank for a few months, but the tank itself is a few years old. I know I should, but I don’t really test very often and my mushies are doing just fine. What I might do is put in a cheaply ric and see how it does after a few days. Also I’m assuming I’ll need to do a few water changes within the first week?

I really don't like the idea of 3 month old dry rock for this application.
Its all about established rock here. Keeping params locked in super tight to system its pulled from. Keeping nutrient levels at least detectable. Not over feeding.
Id stick to as much 3yr old live rock you can take. Throw some cuc in with it. Feed them daily. Watch ammonia swings. It will be ready for a few shrooms once ammonia goes away. And then slowly stock a cpl more every other week until after you get through cloudy water bloom.

 

[gaki]

Sounds good. I can’t really take any of the three year old live rock because it’s only a 20 gallon tank with two large chunks, but worst comes to worst I could use some fritz turbo start which I’ve had good experience with. I could always just wait for a longer cycle if need be ( no use in risking the corals when they’re fine for the moment in the main tank)

 

[gaki]

alrighty- two weeks later and the tank is up and running. Right now i've got a cheapy ric. fl. just as a guinea pig and so far so good. I've got some live rock in the back section and also some in the main display. theres also some polyfilter in the back section just until the water clears up. I'll see how the ric does for the next week or so and then if all goes well I'll start transferring some of my nicer shrooms. I do have one question though... the heater i hsve in the tank is an ehiem jager and i just want to make sure the position is alright. you can see how it is in the last picture. the only part that's out of the water is that little portion on the blue part. I think it should be fine but i just want to make sure.

 

[LRT]

Heater is fine as long as its designed to be submerged. I have a cpl that are set similar to that I just try to make sure I unplug them if im doing something that lowers water level. Very easy to forget to check that.

 

[gaki]

Oh ok good to know thanks

 

[gaki]

a month later and so far going strong- time for an update! I have put in a total of 12 mushroom frags (with a colony or two) and there's also a yellow clown goby as a nutrient source. CUC is a pair of blue leg hermits.

trying to get the YCG to eat pellets but so far all he does is eat them then spit em right out. ugh.

 

[gaki]

still come come are my more expensive mushrooms (I don't want to put them in just to have them not do well) --> these are a big, medium, and small OG bounce, a red insterstellar disco, a few jawbreakers (one is HUGE), a few nice yumas, one has been splitting like crazy, a magic carpet, a red jawbreaker, a sunkist bounce, and a juggernaut bounce.