My Little Reef Tank

[M3d1C]

Hello Neighbor,

How's it going? Kind of excited to announce my wife and I's first reef tank. What I present to you is our new (to us) tacticle-sized reef tank. It's a Lifeguard 7 gallon with built in back filtration chambers that my wife and I picked up second hand from Facebook marketplace. We brought it home, cleaned it up and did a little rearranging in the filter back and decided to try our hand at a reef tank. We picked up about 9 pounds of rock, a mixture of live and dry, and 5 pounds of marine sand. We live in a tiny little town in Iowa that surprisingly has, and I guess has had, a pretty famous LFS in it for years. So, we have been buying locally trying to support them. I picked up a bag of reef crystals and bought RO water from them since we don't have a unit yet (15 cents a gallon!) and set it up in our living room. I turned the light on for the photos and have it off while the tank is cycling. I'm picking up a master test kit on Wednesday and will see how well the filter is working and hope to have a couple tiny snowflake clowns in it in a couple weeks. I appreciate any advice, tips, pictures, or constructive criticism people have! Thanks for checking it out!

 

[Bfragale]

Looks like a good start. The light my
Not be suitable for corals, but I'm
Not sure. I do Not recognize that light. It will be an enjoyable hobby. Have fun and happy reefing!

 

[M3d1C]

Looks like a good start. The light my
Not be suitable for corals, but I'm
Not sure. I do Not recognize that light. It will be an enjoyable hobby. Have fun and happy reefing!

It came with the tank. We were hoping that it would be sufficient for some zoa's at the least. I also bought a chinese powerhead wavemaker off Amazon that should be in when I'm off work Tuesday. We're trying to be super frugal as we break into the hobby and we don't have the $$ or really the need for a nice name-brand light at the moment. In the future though!!!

 

[Bfragale]

I don’t know enough to give you proper information about the light. But maybe someone else knows about this light and will reply as well.

But I’m excited for you guys. It will be a fun hobby

 

[Katrina71]

Nice! Just get a single zoa polyp and try it. No harm.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Welcome to R2R! Nice looking tank

 

[Jason mack]

Welcome to R2R...starting slowly is the best way too go ...happy reefing ..!

 

[M3d1C]

Okay, so for those following along, the tank is doing well after the crisis of my mother showing up with almost 200 bucks worth of fish and coral before it was cycled. The fish are healthy and doing well and the zoa appears to be doing well under the blue light but tends to close up under the white light. I picked up a kessil a80 tuna blue from a friend today and bought the gooseneck off Amazon which I plan to put on the tank Friday when I'm off work. Also, the dude I got the Kessil from is hooking me up with a hammer frag. Should that go on the substrate or rock work? I have a little Jebao sow4 wavemaker for flow and there doesn't appear to be any dead spots of flow in the tank.

 

[M3d1C]

Got the Kessil mounted today and absolutely love it!

 

[AllFin-ished]

Nice looking lamp might have to look into one for my 20 gallon

 

[M3d1C]

Just did a 2 gallon, a little over 25% water change. Installed the Kessil Spectral controller today and love it! Seems like it might be time for a small clean-up-crew.

 

[M3d1C]

Update on My_Little_Reef! Been super busy with the whole COVID19 ordeal both on the streets and in the hospital but finally have some time off to really play with the tank. Almost two months old and doing great! Had several corals given to me by guys in my area and bought a few from my LFS. Have a hammer on the right, green acro on the top, electric blue chalice on the left, eagle eye zoa center, purple rain favia lower center and some GSP on its own rock in the lower right. Phew! Never knew corals had such epic names either! Inhabitants are the snowflake clowns I started with, a neon cleaner goby and a skunk cleaner shrimp. On top of a handful of hermit crabs and astrea snails. Things seem to be going really well. Do about a 2 to 3 gallon water change a week and change out the filter pad. Any tips, tricks, things to watch out for, things to try? Let me know! I take constructive criticism really well!