K's 13 Gallon Aquael Journey

Kongo · Jul 28, 2024

Greetings!

The tank was set up 5 days ago with artificial rocks from Aquaforest and 10 pounds of Aqua Medic Bali Sand (0.5-1.2mm). To assist with cycling, I add a drop of Aquaforest Bio S every day and will continue to do so until the 12th day.

Technical stuff:
-Filtration: Veramax 3.
- Light: LED Slim-light 10W (2x5 W).
- Heater: Aqua nova 50 W.

I'd like to improve the light by splurging on the new Skylight series

A small skimmer could also be a nice addition to the setup.

Stocking plans: A pair of clownfish, 3-4 peppermint shrimps and 4-5 snails (Nassarius and Turbo).

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks for following the start of this journey, and stay tuned for more updates!

Tulahascookies · Jul 28, 2024

We started our tanks on almost the same exact day! And they're similar sizes! As I'm a newbie, I don't have any tips, but that sure is some striking rock!!! Do you plan on having any corals?

lil sumpin · Jul 28, 2024

Looks great! One thing that really helped me a lot was getting live rock from a very established tank. It helped to create a stronger biome for the beneficial things to start taking off. Good luck with your build, happy to follow

Kongo · Jul 29, 2024

lil sumpin said:
Looks great! One thing that really helped me a lot was getting live rock from a very established tank. It helped to create a stronger biome for the beneficial things to start taking off. Good luck with your build, happy to follow

Thanks!

They don't sell actual live rock from the stores here anymore, so I'll have to find someone selling on the second-hand market. So far I've only found one from across the country, but 3 days in the mail will not do the rocks much good. I would prefer to ge them straight from an established tank like you did and into mine within a couple of hours tops.

Tulahascookies said:
We started our tanks on almost the same exact day! And they're similar sizes! As I'm a newbie, I don't have any tips, but that sure is some striking rock!!! Do you plan on having any corals?

Yep, it looks good, though it doesn't provide the same benefits as the real deal. In time I'll try to add some corals. Haven't settled on which types yet, but something that's among the easiest to care for. But that won't be until I get the new light from the Skylight series. Got a new skimmer for the tank - Tunze Comline® DOC Skimmer 9001. It's gotten really good reviews online.

Other than that it's a bit back and forth on the fish stocking. If I should rather settle for a couple of gobies due to the tanks size

Have you decided for what kind of setup you are going for?

Tulahascookies · Jul 29, 2024

Kongo said:
Other than that it's a bit back and forth on the fish stocking. If I should rather settle for a couple of gobies due to the tanks size

Have you decided for what kind of setup you are going for?

I'm afraid that I'm also pretty up in the air with my stocking ideas. I love the idea of a pistol shrimp and goby pair because that symbiotic relationship is just so cool. I've seen a lot of conflicting info online as to whether my 14gal is alright for a clown or not, so I'm unsure if I'd want a standard beginner clown or maybe a firefish.

I think I want to do softies and maybe a couple easy lps. An anemone sounds so cool to me, but the idea that it might move around and sting/kill other corals makes me think I don't want to go that route.

Gumbies R Us · Jul 29, 2024

Love the aquascape in your tank!

kevgib67 · Jul 29, 2024

Off to a good start I see! This live rock rubble might suit your needs.

Kongo · Aug 7, 2024

Time for a new update!

Day 15.

Temperature: 26 degrees/78.8 Fahrenheit
Nitrite: 0.1 ppm.
Ammonia: Low, close to zero.
Ph: 8.6
Phosphate: 0,00.
Salinity: 24.6 PPT.
Calsium: ? The water was supposed to turn blue when indicating the test was over. It never did.
Magnesium: ?. I didn't get a proper reading from this test. It was supposed to change to a either a blue or grey colour. Neither happened. It just stayed purple. I tried doing it twice with the same result.
AK/KH: ? Same as above. No proper reading. The colour just remained a blueish-green.

I managed to find some live rock from Indonesia that is being shipped to me from across the country. The store owner mentioned it would be shipped in a wet container to ensure it arrives in good condition. I’m looking forward to it. The Aquaforest Rock, at least much of it, may have to go to make room for it. I’ve read that they can contribute to undesirable nitrate and phosphate levels, so they won’t be missed in that regard, though they were pleasant to look at.

Eventually, I will receive a bag of live sand from the same supplier: Nature’s Ocean BioActiv Live Sand - Australian Gold, 9.07 kg / 0.5-1.7 mm. When it arrives, I’ll transfer all the water and live rock into buckets, remove the Bali sand, and add the live sand from Ocean BioActiv. It’s a bit of a back-and-forth with the setup, but I’m determined to make this change.

All in all, it will contribute to a rather dramatic change in the tank’s appearance.

I also bought a new skimmer: the Tunze Comline® DOC Skimmer 9001. It has received a lot of positive endorsements online, so it seemed like a good investment. I haven’t started it yet, as I’m contemplating whether to wait until the tank has finished cycling. The consensus online seems to be that it’s best to do so.

I have finally settled on the stocking: one Clown Goby, two Peppermint Shrimp, and four Nassarius and Turbo Snails.

Gumbies R Us · Aug 7, 2024

Sounds like a good stocking list!

Kongo · Aug 15, 2024

With the cycle completed I visited a local shop, Akvarieboden, and purchased four Nassarius snails along with a clown goby, whom I’ve named Nibbler. He shall be the sole fish and master of the tank. I do hope they will settle well into their new home. I also bought some frozen Artemia for Nibbler, which he will have for his dinner tomorrow.

JulesH · Aug 15, 2024

Welcome to the party. My limited knowledge of reef keeping, I would say to myself, if you ever set up a new tank use some live rock.

Kongo · Aug 15, 2024

JulesH said:
Welcome to the party. My limited knowledge of reef keeping, I would say to myself, if you ever set up a new tank use some live rock.

Thank you

Actually, live rock from Indonesia arrived by post today:

Kongo · Aug 18, 2024

Day 26.

The tank has been running for almost a month now. Yesterday, I added the Tunze Comline® DOC Skimmer 9001 to the tank. It was recommended by the local shop and has received many positive reviews online. I don't have a chamber to hide the equipment, but I'm considering adding a black background to help it blend in.

The live rock seems to have picked up some colour from algae. I’m waiting for the local shop to get some turbo snails to tackle the growing algae. In the meantime, the Nano Flipper scraper will come in handy. The nassarius snails are busy burrowing into the sand, quickly resurfacing whenever food—especially artemia—hits the sand bottom.

I'm starting to consider corals—specifically soft corals. Green Star Polyps have caught my eye. I really like their appearance and don't think I would mind if they spread generously.

Flameback Pair · Aug 23, 2024

@i cant think nice start!!!

i cant think · Aug 23, 2024

Kongo said:
Day 26.

The tank has been running for almost a month now. Yesterday, I added the Tunze Comline® DOC Skimmer 9001 to the tank. It was recommended by the local shop and has received many positive reviews online. I don't have a chamber to hide the equipment, but I'm considering adding a black background to help it blend in.

The live rock seems to have picked up some colour from algae. I’m waiting for the local shop to get some turbo snails to tackle the growing algae. In the meantime, the Nano Flipper scraper will come in handy. The nassarius snails are busy burrowing into the sand, quickly resurfacing whenever food—especially artemia—hits the sand bottom.

I'm starting to consider corals—specifically soft corals. Green Star Polyps have caught my eye. I really like their appearance and don't think I would mind if they spread generously.

Looking good!!

I personally never start with dry rock, it has so many issues during the first 2 years but live rock is the best.
I love the Indo/Aussie live rock, it’s gorgeous and you get so many more hitchhikers than in the Caribbean/Florida Live rock.

Kongo · Aug 23, 2024

i cant think said:
Looking good!!

I personally never start with dry rock, it has so many issues during the first 2 years but live rock is the best.
I love the Indo/Aussie live rock, it’s gorgeous and you get so many more hitchhikers than in the Caribbean/Florida Live rock.

Thanks!

I agree; it's only live rock for me from now on. I initially had some difficulties finding a source, which is why I started with the dry stuff.

A video from the supplier of the live rock. They only have the branch types left at the moment, but it worked quite well for building a cave in this small cube, and they were easy to arrange into a formation. The clown goby loves all the small gaps and tunnels. I'm considering getting some more (can you ever have too much live rock in a tank?).

A video from the supplier of the live rock:

Kongo · Aug 31, 2024

t has been an exciting week for the tank.

The old sand has been replaced with live sand from Caribsea, and I’ve added even more live rock. Now, the goby has plenty of hiding places to enjoy

The inhabitants now include a clown goby, two cleaner shrimps, a porcelain crab, and a solid crew of snails. Perhaps, in time, a small group of sexy shrimp and a hermit crayfish or two might be added, but then that will have to be it. As for corals, it might be tempting to add something more, but I expect that the zoanthid will spread easily.

Now I think it's starting to look like a proper little reef.

Kongo · Oct 6, 2024

Day 75..
It's been running smoothly for a while now. A black background helps to conceal the equipment and overall aesthetic. As for corals I passed on the zoa and settled on GSP. Added a bit more Indonesian live rock from another store. Been eyeing the Tunze Nano ATO and, possibly, another tunze 3163 filter. With all that the Tunze 6020 wave maker might be over the top.

Besides the clown goby it's all about invertebrates. I find them very fascinating and in case for any upgrade tank they will also be the main focus. Which is likely since some of the inhabitants will require a bigger setup in due time.

I consider whether to buy the ai 16hd light or if the Aqua Medic Cube 30 is sufficient.