NateRealBig's Truly Minimalist 120g Office Build

[naterealbig]

So... created a poll for my 2 favorite scapes - so far scape B is winning about 65:35.

Went out this morning to take a couple more shots and saw an idea for another scape, so took pictures and started a new poll...

Narrowed It Down to 3 Scapes (New Added Scape) - Help Me Decide Which is Best!

For those of you following along, I started a poll yesterday below. One of the main asks was to see a "floor" view of the scapes. I went out to the garage a few minutes ago to grab a couple extra pictures, and saw an idea for an additional 3rd scape. If you were following along earlier...

www.reef2reef.com

Here is the scape option I added... Any guesses which one is my fav?

Video of scape C

 

[naterealbig]

Got some keys live rock in - chose the less overgrown pieces, as the dark-cure is certain to kill off the majority of the plant life. It's hard to see in the pic, but the rock is teeming with life. Below is about 20lb - worth.

 

[swampcruiser]

Following as well. I am really interested as I am waiting on a bit of remodeling in the house to get my office back LOL. I am going 80-100 gal and thinking about the exact same methods based on ULM- minus the AWC (trusting shut offs scares me).
Are you planning a refugium area for rubble and live rock next to the skimmer For added bio? Or just keeping the sump clean and simple?

 

[naterealbig]

Following as well.

Great to have you, and thanks for following along!

I am really interested as I am waiting on a bit of remodeling in the house to get my office back LOL.

Are you building the aquarium into your office plans?

I am going 80-100 gal and thinking about the exact same methods based on ULM- minus the AWC (trusting shut offs scares me).

Great volume. I was originally going to go with a ~ 60 gallon, because it had the exact dimension (ratios) that I wanted, but ended up going bigger because I had the room! I think the tank will end up being 52-54" long x 24"deep x 18" tall. Your thoughts on shut offs is different - did you have a bad experience? I am going to use Versas for topoff, water changes, and dosing.

Are you planning a refugium area for rubble and live rock next to the skimmer For added bio? Or just keeping the sump clean and simple?

I'm planning on keeping things pretty clean. The sump will be used for a frag area (I'm hoping to sell some corals/nems) mainly, and no rubble/fuge. I will be keeping a small enclosed box/basket to grow benthic organisms (mini brittle stars, worms, sponges) but the plan is to basically never touch it (except to peek in periodically to see what is growing).

I will over-size skimmer to try to overcome the need for a fuge, and I will dose carbon (along with a mix of NO3/PO4) for additional nutrient control, if needed. My goal will be to minimize the cleaning effort!

 

[swampcruiser]

Actually my office is staying the same, Its just full of home things right now (next 2 weeks) due to renovations, but there is a spot dedicated for the tank - something 48" in length. I plan on ordering soon. I want nothing to do with filter socks but think the RSR G2 series would be nice IF I need to add the roller- hoping to keep it simple like you with an oversized skimmer and possibly fuge/rubble area. Struggling and need to make a decision on Cade/WB/ or Red Sea by the weekend.
I LOVE the AWC concept but I'm over a very expensive finished basement and on a wood floor so I need a zero flaw system. I've even been contemplating an aio and no sump.
Looking forward to following along!

 

[naterealbig]

I want nothing to do with filter socks but think the RSR G2 series would be nice IF I need to add the roller- hoping to keep it simple like you with an oversized skimmer and possibly fuge/rubble area.

This will be my first time with a tank with no filter socks. My goal is to have a relatively constant food source for the micro fauna, as I believe they are an important part of the ecosystem in the tank.

Struggling and need to make a decision on Cade/WB/ or Red Sea by the weekend.
I LOVE the AWC concept but I'm over a very expensive finished basement and on a wood floor so I need a zero flaw system. I've even been contemplating an aio and no sump.

Sounds like you've put a ton of work and $$ into your home setup - agreed on the necessity of finding a flawless system.

Looking forward to following along!

Me too - please let me know your thoughts and questions as we go!

 

[naterealbig]

A couple weeks ago I purchased a Lowe's storage bin to dark-cure the rock in, and I stopped by the fish store and picked up 25 gallons of water last weekend. Once I filled it up with water, it was bowing considerably - to the point I was worried the walls would fail and I'd end up with 25 gallons of water on the floor - so realized I needed to go a different route. I ended up settling on a 40 gallon Brute - got the wheels and lid to go along with it. Placed the keys live rock, along with all of the rocks that I am considering using for the scape and filled it back up. Much better!

 

[naterealbig]

Here is what I will be feeding the rock while it dark-cures: Brightwell's Coral Aminos, Selcon, and Tropic Marin's Zooton. I may switch the Zooton out with BRS Reef Chili, as it appears to have some larger pieces of food stuffs - which may be helpful for some of the larger animals that will be growing there.

While I didn't do it for the first feeding, amounts of each of these will be carefully measured and dosed to the tank consistently (will start out with a certain volume/weight) once per week. I will also carefully track nitrate and phosphate levels and adjust feeding/filtration/water changes to maintain levels that I want to maintain in the future display long-term.

 

[naterealbig]

First ammonia check (this was done ~ 12 hours after the first feeding) results in ~ 0.5 ppm. I purchased some API Ammo Lock, which I will dose to the tank if it goes above this - checking again here in a few minutes.

 

[naterealbig]

By-the-by - got clearance to keep 2 of these in the garage... This is what I will be using the store and mix fresh and saltwater... Confirmed they are stackable - when full. Did you know this?

 

[mhafrizm]

Following

 

[naterealbig]

Following

Thanks for hangin' out!

 

[naterealbig]

Ammonia looking a little worse today. Going to dose Ammo Lock at 1/2 the recommended dose, and add aeration.
Will re-test ammonia this evening. I've heard mixed reviews on Ammo-Lock, so I'm leery of using it. However, I can't think of many other chemicals that are as toxic as Ammonia, so I feel the Ammo-Lock is the lesser of the two evils. My goal is to preserve as much life as possible from the rock.

 

[naterealbig]

Added bubbler to curing tank, and administered 6.25 ml of Ammo-Lock. Will check ammonia later tonight and see what API is telling us.

 

[TheWB]

Here is what I will be feeding the rock while it dark-cures: Brightwell's Coral Aminos, Selcon, and Tropic Marin's Zooton. I may switch the Zooton out with BRS Reef Chili, as it appears to have some larger pieces of food stuffs - which may be helpful for some of the larger animals that will be growing there.

While I didn't do it for the first feeding, amounts of each of these will be carefully measured and dosed to the tank consistently (will start out with a certain volume/weight) once per week. I will also carefully track nitrate and phosphate levels and adjust feeding/filtration/water changes to maintain levels that I want to maintain in the future display long-term.

I'm interested to see how this works out for you. I'm going to be starting a new build soon and this could be a plan to follow for seeding my new rock.

 

[naterealbig]

I'm interested to see how this works out for you. I'm going to be starting a new build soon and this could be a plan to follow for seeding my new rock.

With information and affordable, effective aquarium gear at out fingertips, I think success in this hobby is more accessible than ever. One of the biggest challenges left is figuring out how to quickly and efficiently get our tanks to reach true maturity.

It's my belief that we mess this up even before we start cycling our tanks, and more focus needs to be placed on what we do, and the order we do it in. Here are some of the key things I think we don't put enough thought into (and hope to address):

a) I have observed that the majority of tanks are cycled with 'llights-on' (or at a minimum, with ambient light). The bacteria we are trying to grow doesn't need light to survive, and by providing it (light) to the cycling aquarium I believe we give the advantage to photosynthetic organisms. This is more problematic when using cultured/established live (as opposed to dry/dead) rock to a system, as it already has increased plant-based diversity. Not that I believe that algae/cyano growth is necessarily a bad thing, but I believe bacterial colonies are at a disadvantage here. Well what can we do about it then?

b) To focus on establishing the correct bacterial colonies, I am seeding my dry rock with cultured live rock directly from the ocean. To make sure the bacterial colonies have the advantage, I am dark-curing the live rock so that photosynthetic organisms cannot compete and allow the bacterial colonies to proliferate. Particular care was taken to obtain rock with minimal established plant life.

c) Additionally, I will add benthic/cryptic animals such as sponges, worms, and small brittle stars - so when I add the rock to the display, a well-established cleanup crew will already be there. To make sure that these animals (along with the bacteria) are well-fed (another common mistake during cycling), I will be adding food to the curing tank with a similar profile to the food I will add to the display once the rock and life are added. This food will be carefully measured, and added at a rate so I am able to easily control nitrate and phosphate (I will know exactly what I am putting in, and test (and track) the output.


d) To this end, I will monitor nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium in the curing tank, and dose/manage these elements/nutrients just as I would my display through the duration of the curing process. Ensuring optimal levels here will ensure that the animals in the curing tank have everything they need to proliferate. And, there won't be any major changes when I add the rock/life to the display once the curing process is finished.

d) Also to help the bacteria grow, I will begin dosing a liquid carbon source to the curing tank which has been shown to help bacterial colonies grow and proliferate - another way we will give the bacterial colonies an advantage. This practice will continue once the rock/life is moved to the display - this even more important once light is available to the photosynthetic organisms. Well what about bottoming out nitrate and phosphate? I will simply add the appropriate ratios of nitrate and phosphate to be dosed along with the carbon source.

e) To help further establish a solid 'micro' cleanup crew and to help keep algae/cyano/dino growth in check, I will add a sufficient amount of amphipods and copepods as soon as the cured rock is added to the display (and light is made available). I may also add some hermits and snails, however I believe the amphipods and copepods should be the focus, as they are sustainable and will grow to the proportions of food available (they will reproduce on their own, unlike most snails and hermits). These animals will be in addition to the life that has already established itself during the dark-curing process.

Of course this is all just my own theory based on what I have read and observed over my 20 or-so years in the hobby. I could be completely wrong, and we will certainly find out if this worked for my particular scenario right here. If nothing else, I hope to be able to contribute (whether successful or unsuccessful) to the ongoing discussion re: how to best (and most quickly) arrive at a mature aquarium biome.

 

[naterealbig]

Ammonia looking a little better today... I think I will leave 0.5 ppm or below, alone. Will check again tonight.

Will also check Alkalinity so I can begin tracking consumption, and begin dosing if necessary.

 

[naterealbig]

Not sure why, but i have an affinity for measurements, accuracy, and consistent process when testing.... In this spirit, purchased standards for every Hanna checker i ordered....

On the money...




And, first official alkalinity reading...

 

[TheWB]

With information and affordable, effective aquarium gear at out fingertips, I think success in this hobby is more accessible than ever. One of the biggest challenges left is figuring out how to quickly and efficiently get our tanks to reach true maturity.

It's my belief that we mess this up even before we start cycling our tanks, and more focus needs to be placed on what we do, and the order we do it in. Here are some of the key things I think we don't put enough thought into (and hope to address):

a) I have observed that the majority of tanks are cycled with 'llights-on' (or at a minimum, with ambient light). The bacteria we are trying to grow doesn't need light to survive, and by providing it (light) to the cycling aquarium I believe we give the advantage to photosynthetic organisms. This is more problematic when using cultured/established live (as opposed to dry/dead) rock to a system, as it already has increased plant-based diversity. Not that I believe that algae/cyano growth is necessarily a bad thing, but I believe bacterial colonies are at a disadvantage here. Well what can we do about it then?

b) To focus on establishing the correct bacterial colonies, I am seeding my dry rock with cultured live rock directly from the ocean. To make sure the bacterial colonies have the advantage, I am dark-curing the live rock so that photosynthetic organisms cannot compete and allow the bacterial colonies to proliferate. Particular care was taken to obtain rock with minimal established plant life.

c) Additionally, I will add benthic/cryptic animals such as sponges, worms, and small brittle stars - so when I add the rock to the display, a well-established cleanup crew will already be there. To make sure that these animals (along with the bacteria) are well-fed (another common mistake during cycling), I will be adding food to the curing tank with a similar profile to the food I will add to the display once the rock and life are added. This food will be carefully measured, and added at a rate so I am able to easily control nitrate and phosphate (I will know exactly what I am putting in, and test (and track) the output.


d) To this end, I will monitor nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium in the curing tank, and dose/manage these elements/nutrients just as I would my display through the duration of the curing process. Ensuring optimal levels here will ensure that the animals in the curing tank have everything they need to proliferate. And, there won't be any major changes when I add the rock/life to the display once the curing process is finished.

d) Also to help the bacteria grow, I will begin dosing a liquid carbon source to the curing tank which has been shown to help bacterial colonies grow and proliferate - another way we will give the bacterial colonies an advantage. This practice will continue once the rock/life is moved to the display - this even more important once light is available to the photosynthetic organisms. Well what about bottoming out nitrate and phosphate? I will simply add the appropriate ratios of nitrate and phosphate to be dosed along with the carbon source.

e) To help further establish a solid 'micro' cleanup crew and to help keep algae/cyano/dino growth in check, I will add a sufficient amount of amphipods and copepods as soon as the cured rock is added to the display (and light is made available). I may also add some hermits and snails, however I believe the amphipods and copepods should be the focus, as they are sustainable and will grow to the proportions of food available (they will reproduce on their own, unlike most snails and hermits). These animals will be in addition to the life that has already established itself during the dark-curing process.

Of course this is all just my own theory based on what I have read and observed over my 20 or-so years in the hobby. I could be completely wrong, and we will certainly find out if this worked for my particular scenario right here. If nothing else, I hope to be able to contribute (whether successful or unsuccessful) to the ongoing discussion re: how to best (and most quickly) arrive at a mature aquarium biome.

That all makes good sense to me in theory. It will be interesting to see how it works out in practice. Thanks for the thorough explanation of your thought process.

 

[Petcrazyson]

Patience patience patience. I’m sure the ammonia will go down soon enough. I went thru the same thing setting up my tank. I’m not sure if this helps but could dosing beneficial bacteria help the process finish faster?