schgr.cube's Ultum Nature Systems 45u - tons of new coral added

schgr.cube · Sep 19, 2023

Current FTS:

February 28th, 2024
Made the shift back to a mixed reef and redid the plumbing.

schgr.cube · Sep 19, 2023

Equipment list:

Tank
- Ultum Nature Systems 45u 9-gallon frameless aquarium (08/15/2023)
- Custom Stand with pine top (09/04/2023)
Lighting
- AquaIllumination Prime 16HD Reef (02/03/2024)
- Reef Brite XHO-K15 (01/21/2024)
Temperature
- Innovative Marine Helio 2x 100W titanium heaters (02/04/2024)
Flow
- Jebao SLW-3 Wavemaker (02/21/2024)
Filtration
- Custom sump using Top Fin 3-gallon aquarium (02/04/2024)
- Jebao DCP-3500 return pump (02/04/2024)
Auto top off
- Magtool optical sensor ATO (08/21/2023)
Live rock
- 15lbs of Carib Sea Life Rock Base (08/12/2023)
Live sand
- 15 lbs SeaChem Pearl Beach sand (08/22/2023)

Filtration, feeding, and maintenance:

Chemi-Pure Blue Nano (replaced every 2 months)
Mixed-density filter pad (replaced weekly)
100 Micron polishing pad (replaced weekly)
2-gallon water change with Red Sea Coral Pro salt (completed weekly)
Bulk Reef Supply 6 Stage 75GPD RO/DI system (currently reading 0 TDS)

Livestock:

Soft Coral
- Blue Spot Mushrooms (09/20/2023)
- Mohawk Palys (09/20/2023)
- Oxide Zoas (09/20/2023)
- Unknown Zoas (09/20/2023)
- Sunny D Palys (01/21/2024)
- Unknown Palys (01/21/2024)
- Unknown Rhodactis (01/28/2024)
- Pikachu Zoas (01/30/2024)
- Stratocaster Zoas (02/02/2024)
LPS Coral:
- Spicy Lemon Favia (01/21/2024)
- Yellow Submarine Favia (01/28/2024)
- Blue Raven Blasto (01/30/2024)
- Miami Hurricane Chalice (01/30/2024)
- Sonic Boom Favites (01/30/2024)
- Rainbow Micromussa (02/12/2024)
- QCC Malaysian Rainbow Hologram Hammer (02/15/2024)
SPS Coral:
- Lethal Lepto (01/21/2024)
- Green Slimer Acro (01/21/2024)
- Blueberry Fields Acro (01/21/2024)
- Jedi Mind Tricks Monti (02/28/2024)
- Sunfire grafted Monti (02/02/2024)
- NAF Lagoon Nebula (02/02/2024)
- NAF Jesters Hat (02/02/2024)
- Walt Disney Acro (02/11/2024)
- Acid Trip Millepora (02/11/2024)
- Oregon Blue Tort (02/11/2024)
- Hulk Green Tenuis (02/11/2024)
- Cali Blue Tort (02/11/2024)
- Green Birdsnest (02/15/2024)
Fish
- Amphiprion ocellaris 'Wyoming White Clownfish' (09/20/2023)
- Amphiprion ocellaris 'Mocha Storm' (09/29/2023)
- Wetmorella tanakai 'Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse (likely)
- Tigrigobius multifasciatus "Green Banded Goby" (maybe?)
- Coryphopterus personatus "Masked Goby" (maybe?)
- Tigrigobius macrodon "Tiger Goby" (maybe?)
Invertebrates
- Astraea Snails (09/20/2023)
- Nassarius Snails (09/20/2023)
- Blue Legged Hermit Crabs (09/20/2023)
- Rock Flower Anemone (09/20/2023)
- Cortez Cerith Snails (09/20/2023)
- East African Cerith Snails (09/20/2023)
- Banded Trochus Snails (09/20/2023)
- Orange sponge (09/24/2023)
- Sexy Anemone Shrimp (planned)
- Crinoid Squat Lobster (planned)
- Acro Crab (planned)
- Porcelain Crab (planned)
- Porcelain Anemone Crab (planned)
- Halloween Hermit Crab (planned)

Backstory:
After bouncing back and forth between various reef tanks for the last few years, I decided I wanted to do something different. I was never satisfied with my setups, and I have been feeling the itch to create a build that I had attempted ~13 years ago, where I had tried to hide all of the equipment inside of the hardscape and just have a glass-box filled with livestock. The original build failed due to a lack of flow for the SPS I had, but I thought I could pull this off for a planted aquarium, and dove into that build.

I was able to successfully drill into the driftwood, and run the plumbing through the bottom of the tank. The plumbing and the ATO sensor run through bulkheads, and utilizing a canister filter with a built-in heater, I was up and running. While I waited for my carpeting plants to take hold in the planted tank, I decided I needed to create a saltwater version and settled on a macroalgae-focused build.

The same concept was applied, but this time I drilled three holes in the bottom of the tank, having one inflow and two outflow holes to accommodate a bit more flow. This was matched up with a larger and more powerful canister filter, running about 350 gph through the setup.

I wanted these builds to match as much as possible, but finding a matching stand proved to be difficult, as the one I had originally purchased for the freshwater tank was unavailable anywhere. I opted to buy two wall-mounted cabinets from Home Depot, and cut a piece of wood as a top for each stand. The lighting also matches, with a 12" Freshwater Aquaillumination Blade mounted on top of each tank, utilizing a custom electrical conduit light mount.

Each tank is now fully set up, although the planted one is yet to be filled with water until the plants are ready and my CO2 setup arrives. I moved a bit of livestock into the saltwater tank, including a few anemones and some coral that I don't care about browning out, but am waiting for some macroalgae to arrive in the mail. Each of these builds have been posted on other forums, but I figured I would condense them into one thread here to make it easier.

Stay tuned!

schgr.cube · Sep 19, 2023

As I will be updating the full tank shots regularly on the original post details, here are the first two full tank shots for each build:

September 8th, 2023

August 25th, 2023

schgr.cube · Sep 19, 2023

A few bonus shots of the builds in progress:

schgr.cube · Sep 20, 2023

The first guests have arrived! I moved in two of the fish from my other tank, as well as my Bubbletip Anemone, Rock Flower Anemone, Porcelain Anemone Crab, a few small mushrooms and Zoanthids, and most of my cleanup crew. The Bubbletip was stubbornly attached to a rock, so I decided to rearrange things to accommodate that rock in the aquascape. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that, but I am hoping he will relocate so I can have the freedom to adjust the layout.

The first inhabitants have moved in!

I also decided to mess with some background lighting, as I wasn't a big fan of how shadowed the light looks against the wall. I was originally hoping to find LEDs that I could match the tone of the AI Blade with, but everything either didn't match or was too dim to work. I ended up opting for some @Tigahboy style blue lighting, which will contrast nicely against a warmer white I am using for the planted tank.

Here are some comparisons:

Planted tank:

Combined shots:

I should have a few pieces of macroalgae coming soon, so this tank should actually start looking a bit better very quickly!

schgr.cube · Oct 3, 2023

Latest shots of each tank:

schgr.cube · Oct 12, 2023

Some recent photos:

The porcelain anemone crab finally molted, and looks MUCH cleaner...but it lost its claws in the molt.

Trying to keep the Grape Caulerpa in check already, having it stay low growing for now.

The Gracilaria Hayi is growing in nicely!

One of my recent pickups, a Rhodepeltis "Branching Hex Algae".

Another recent addition, Caulerpa verticillata "Fuzzy Caulerpa".

Gumbies R Us · Oct 12, 2023

schgr.cube said:
Some recent photos:

The porcelain anemone crab finally molted, and looks MUCH cleaner...but it lost its claws in the molt.

Trying to keep the Grape Caulerpa in check already, having it stay low growing for now.

The Gracilaria Hayi is growing in nicely!

One of my recent pickups, a Rhodepeltis "Branching Hex Algae".

Another recent addition, Caulerpa verticillata "Fuzzy Caulerpa".

Great looking pictures!

schgr.cube · Oct 16, 2023

Gumbies R Us said:
Great looking pictures!

Thank you!!

larryl · Oct 16, 2023

Great looking builds.

schgr.cube · Feb 28, 2024

Things have changed quite a bit here. Both tanks got quite overgrown due to getting too busy, and I never got any updated shot of them all grown out. The planted tank is actually gone now, as we needed to redo the office space where it lived. The macroalgae tank has been changed into a mixed reef tank, and is now set up with a small sump.

I still need to make some small adjustments to the plumbing, and then I can settle on a final aquascape and mount the rocks properly. The wiring for the powerhead will also be routed through the overflow, so that should minimize things a bit more. I think once the coralline grows in, this should still give a pretty solid invisible equipment aesthetic.

Because I haven't been keeping up with this thread like I do on another forum, I'm going to post some older shots of the frags. Some have grown a bit already and/or colored up nicely.

QCC Malaysian Rainbow Hologram Hammer

Sonic Boom Favites

Incredible Hulk Green Tenuis

Walt Disney Acro

Cali Blue Tort

Spicy Lemon Favia (got this completely brown, and is more colored up now)

A Rainbow Lord I got for free that was half dead, is already looking way healthier!

These were sold to me as Stratocaster Zoas, but I'm partially inclined to believe they are Chiquitas? Either way, they have colored up a bit more since this photo was taken.

Pikachu Zoas, which have quadrupled since this was taken.

Blue Raven Blasto

I should also note that the original light was replaced with an AI Prime 16HD and two ReefBrite XHO strips.

Stay tuned for more!

Gumbies R Us · Feb 29, 2024

schgr.cube said:
Things have changed quite a bit here. Both tanks got quite overgrown due to getting too busy, and I never got any updated shot of them all grown out. The planted tank is actually gone now, as we needed to redo the office space where it lived. The macroalgae tank has been changed into a mixed reef tank, and is now set up with a small sump.

I still need to make some small adjustments to the plumbing, and then I can settle on a final aquascape and mount the rocks properly. The wiring for the powerhead will also be routed through the overflow, so that should minimize things a bit more. I think once the coralline grows in, this should still give a pretty solid invisible equipment aesthetic.

Because I haven't been keeping up with this thread like I do on another forum, I'm going to post some older shots of the frags. Some have grown a bit already and/or colored up nicely.

QCC Malaysian Rainbow Hologram Hammer

Sonic Boom Favites

Incredible Hulk Green Tenuis

Walt Disney Acro

Cali Blue Tort

Spicy Lemon Favia (got this completely brown, and is more colored up now)

A Rainbow Lord I got for free that was half dead, is already looking way healthier!

These were sold to me as Stratocaster Zoas, but I'm partially inclined to believe they are Chiquitas? Either way, they have colored up a bit more since this photo was taken.

Pikachu Zoas, which have quadrupled since this was taken.

Blue Raven Blasto

I should also note that the original light was replaced with an AI Prime 16HD and two ReefBrite XHO strips.

Stay tuned for more!

Those are some great looking pictures!