33 Gallon Reef

[Sidius]

Finally after many years of enjoying this hobby, I am taking my first dive into the world of reefkeeping and saltwater aquariums. I've started to build a couple reef tanks in the past but never made it to the point that I was actually ready. Life always seemed to get in the way.

I still need some equipment but I'll post what I have and what I plan to have down the road. The plan at this time is to go sumpless and as simple as possible but I will likely add an ATO, skimmer and a doser at some point. I may not use all the equipment posted, I have most of it hanging around from old freshwater setups or prior reef tank builds I started. I welcome any and all advice or suggestions!

When it comes to livestock, I'm still on the fence and plan to take things very slowly. I've learned that even with my old freshwater tanks, patience and stability are key. Rushing things never ends well... again, I welcome any and all advice or suggestions :biggrin:


So I guess to start I'll post my tank info and current equipment list and go from there...

Current Equipment:
33 gallon tank (36x12x18)
Aqua Medic 36" 4 bulb T5 (undecided on which bulbs I'll go with)
AquaFX Barracuda RO/DI
3 x Acrylic dosing containers that I've had collecting dust for some time
Eheim heater
TLF Reactor (if I need to run carbon/GFO but won't be using it to start)
Aquaclear HOB filter (I don't plan to run this right now but I considered running it filled with rock rubble or MarinePure... or maybe even for a HOB Macro algae container)

Future Equipment:
Smart ATO Micro
Eshopps PSK-75H HOB Skimmer
Bubble Magus BM-T11 Dosing pump
Maxspect Gyre (XF230) or Jebao RW4 (x2)



Coral:
SPS/LPS mixed reef with a focus more on SPS (not a fan of most softies)

Fish (3 or 4 of the following):
Clownfish (Picasso or Da Vinci are favorites)
Firefish
Banggai Cardinal (love these but on the fence)
Mandarin Dragonet (Also on the fence as I know a 33g is a bit small for pod population but these are one of my favorite fish)
Flame Angel (on the fence because I've heard they can pick at corals)


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20180921_111004_zpsfvktnmed.jpg

Rocks are a mix of BRS Reef Saver rock and live rock from J&L... they've been cycling in rubbermaids for 2.5 weeks now to try and get as much sand/silt out of them as possible. Keeping an eye on phosphate levels before actually moving them into the tank and adding sand and critters.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20180921_111041_zpso7psybkh.jpg

I decided to set it up in the garage next to my salt mixing station so I can make a mess and not annoy my wife lol

[Sidius]

Not a whole lot to update right now.. I did a full water change in my rubbermaids last night while dunking and swishing the rocks in buckets of saltwater... It's surprising how much silt/sand comes out of those new dry/reef saver rocks from BRS when I dunk them.. its so cloudy after that I can't see the powerhead in the bottom of the bucket lol (and this is after a month of curing). I also painted the back of the tank black.

I will be picking up some sand tomorrow from J&L and moving the rocks into the tank once I've cleaned the sand a bit. After that, I should be ready for a clean up crew and then maybe my first marine fish!

[Sidius]

I finally have my first reef tank up and running.. I can't possibly convey how amazing this moment is for me lol.. I've been wanting a saltwater tank since I was a teenager and used to stare at a friends dads tank, mesmerized by all the creatures and corals that lived in there. No idea why I stuck with freshwater for so long but nevertheless I have one now :)

Here's my first attempt at a reef tank aquascape. Please feel free to point out any flaws or issues I might have down the road. I plan to search for an 8 inch long piece of rock to add to the middle as a bridge between the two structures and more surface for corals!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/received_237314900276111_zpsv45yvcfo.jpeg

Here's one of the Scarlet hermits saying hello to one of the Blue Legged hermits (lighter shell)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/received_703007573388804_zpsh45sy0mj.jpeg

[Dash]

Congrats on the new tank:clap2:
I sure remember my first moments with my tank - couldn’t believe there were living creatures inside!

I like the scarlet hermits, very well-behaved and hard-working.

[DKoKoMan]

Awesome start! Before you know it you will be amazed at how much your tank has changed.

[Sidius]

Congrats on the new tank:clap2:
I sure remember my first moments with my tank - couldn’t believe there were living creatures inside!

I like the scarlet hermits, very well-behaved and hard-working.

Ya it's been a lot of fun.. I can't wait to get a fire shrimp and a few fish in there.. I'm waiting a couple months before I try to add any corals. I need proper wavemakers and I want to let things mature.

The Scarlet hermits are extra special since my daughters name is Scarlett :biggrin:

[Sidius]

Awesome start! Before you know it you will be amazed at how much your tank has changed.

Ya I can't wait to see the changes along the way!!

[Sidius]

I'm sure a lot of you will laugh at this because you likely thought the same thing the first time you saw it but this morning I woke up and thought one of my Scarlet's had died.. I see a red shell floating around on my sand bed, lifeless and one of my Scarlet's was missing.. I search all over the tank and see what I thought was his empty shell tucked back behind my rockwork and reach in to grab it, only to see a hermit still living inside.. I guess one of them molted!

[Sidius]

I don't know if anyone else can see the pictures that I've been posting but for some reason I can't anymore... They were there when I checked last night...

[Dash]

I find stress will often trigger it. When I moved tanks, they all molted. Once I took one out to brush off a big hunk of algae on his shell, and he just threw his molt out in the cup he was in. I thought he died from the shock of being out of the water for 10 seconds, but when I peeked inside he was still in there.

[Sidius]

I find stress will often trigger it. When I moved tanks, they all molted. Once I took one out to brush off a big hunk of algae on his shell, and he just threw his molt out in the cup he was in. I thought he died from the shock of being out of the water for 10 seconds, but when I peeked inside he was still in there.

lol too funny.. I would have probably thought he died too. Good to know about stress. I've only found the one molt so far.

[Sidius]

Time to update things...

I added a few more dry reef rocks to the aquascape. I love SPS so I tried to add more spots up higher that I can attach some SPS, on top of making a few more little caves and places for smaller critters to hide. I'd like to add pompom crabs once my tank has matured enough and who knows what else.

http://photobucket.com/confirmation?token=ldcHDvGAfx%2Bkz%2BVgrc51GHhWPwS SaVt2aE1ndUo8NDP431MpDFHG8iBpwv2m7Lwo%2FE%2F9bLAmE zkTWFrydRJfkPsWupPhKagH

I also added a purple firefish as my first marine fish! I've been letting the tank stabilize after adding the fish and so far everyone is doing well.

Up next, possibly a Banggai Cardinal?

http://photobucket.com/confirmation?token=ldcHDvGAfx%2Bkz%2BVgrc51GHhWPwS SaVt2aE1ndUo8NDP431MpDFHG8iBpwv2m7Lwo%2FE%2F9bLAmE zkTWFrydRJfkPsWupPhKagH

[Sidius]

A little update... I added a Eshopps PSK-100H HOB skimmer and so far it's working like a champ.. Installed it late last night and by morning it was already pulling skimmate.

Also, I added my first coral!!
I picked up a couple frags over last weekend from another Canreef member. Pulsing pom pom Xenia and an Orange Rhodactis. Both detached from the glue that was used to attach them to plugs by the second day. The Rhodactis went for a walk about and ended up tucked away in some rocks. I liked where it ended up and it seems happy. The pulsing xenia unfortunately, never took after I reattached it to a rock with fishing line and melted away. I was looking forward to the movement the pulsing xenia provided so I may try another frag down the road. For now I'm just going to let things settle and adjust with the new Skimmer. I was planning on waiting longer to get some corals but couldn't resist trying out some softies.

[Sidius]

Time for another update!

I have added some more clean up crew members so here is my current livestock list.

Fish:
Purple firefish

Invertebrates:
Scarlet Hermits (x3)
Blue legged hermits (x4)
Trochus snails (x5)
Astrea snails (x3)
Spiny star astrea snails (x3)
Cerith snails (x3)
Fighting conch
Orange lip conch

I've noticed a large increase in pods. They were all over my glass until I had to scrape it clean and I've seen them scurrying around on my rocks as well. Also, there's small spots of coraline algae popping up all over my rocks.

A project that I completed and added to the tank last night was converting an old Aquaclear110 into a HOB refugium for chaeto. I've been monitoring my nitrates and they were hovering around 10ppm with only one fish and the inverts listed (feeding Vitalis pellets once daily but a very small amount). I'm planning on adding more fish and possibly more inverts down the road and I'd like to keep the nutrients down closer to 2-5ppm. I'll be posting some pictures but essentially I built a containment device to keep the chaeto from getting into the tank out of egg crate and used some black plastic pieces to build a wall that comes up around the light to prevent it from lighting up the tank when the IM Chaetomax comes on at night. I dialed the flow back a little bit and used an old Aquaclear attachment to skim the surface water instead of pulling water from the lower water column. It's only been running since last night but I had fun building it and used almost entirely old parts laying around in my bins of aquarium stuff that I've collected over the years.

[Sidius]

Question for anyone that might actually be reading this... What do you do regarding moonlights at night?

My T5 fixture has small blue LED's on it's own channel so I've been leaving them on 24/7. The aren't really noticeable during the day but do add a tiny bit of shimmer which is nice. The reading I've done online seems to show that there isn't any effect on corals (even though I don't currently have any) but I would love to hear other more experienced Canreefers opinions on the matter.

[Frogger]

As long as it is not too bright that will work. My ATI fixture has a built in moonlight which stays on at a very low level.

[Sidius]

As long as it is not too bright that will work. My ATI fixture has a built in moonlight which stays on at a very low level.

Thanks for answering!!

Mine are not that bright either. It's an Aqua Medic T5 fixture and has 5 LED moonlights in total I believe, stretched across the 36" fixture.

[Skimmer Juice]

I use a led strip for my moonlights , works great

[Sidius]

I use a led strip for my moonlights , works greatGreat to hear.. I didn't think it would be a problem but I wasn't sure how sensitive the corals would be to having the lights on all night, never really getting complete darkness.

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[Synthesis]

Great looking setup so far and good progress!. I also have my tank setup in my garage (only temp though). Just curious how you find the temp of the tank holding out now that the temperatures are dropping with Winter coming? Is your garage well insulated?

[Sidius]

Great looking setup so far and good progress!. I also have my tank setup in my garage (only temp though). Just curious how you find the temp of the tank holding out now that the temperatures are dropping with Winter coming? Is your garage well insulated?The temp seems to be holding just fine but it is really cold in my garage and I am starting to get a little worried. I may pickup a space heater to help a bit but my garage door is not insulated. I'm running a tank heater that is over powered for the size of my tank but it's doing the job and I'm monitoring it closely. I also plan to pick up a temp controller of some kind soon just to be safe.

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[Sidius]

Time for a long overdue update with some pictures..

I've changed my rockscape around a few times trying to find something that I am happy with and think I finally got it. This pic is how it sits now but it's before I added some coral a week ago. A new full tank shot will have to come soon but for now...

https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181207_131411_zps06inffmv.jpg

As mentioned I added a few corals and so far all seem happy a week later..

Radioactive moon coral
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181212_204934_zpsvoeesktk.jpg

Purple Stylo
https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181209_175224_zpsdj3ospk7.jpg

Stelata and Rainbow Loom
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181212_204906_zpsi4kftps7.jpg

Frogspawn
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181209_175212_zpsagnv6xli.jpg

[Sidius]

Here's one of my Bangaii being curious...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/20181212_205003_zpszvo12q56.jpg

[Synthesis]

Wow everything is looking really clean. Did you get any algae growth at all?

[Sidius]

Wow everything is looking really clean. Did you get any algae growth at all?I haven't had much in the way of algae growth but I've had my share of diatoms along the way.. I've tried to take things slow and only add cleanup crew for specific needs to make sure they survive. I also clean the rocks with a toothbrush during water changes and have some snails (Conch + Nassarius) that stir the soil a little. Lastly I've made sure the flow keeps things moving along the sandbed so there's no dead spots.

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[Sidius]

So a few days after the last update and pictures were taken, the storm to end all storms hit our area and we were without power for over 30 hours. I have not acquired the necessary redundancy equipment to keep things going during a power outtage and ended up losing a few things. My tank temp had dropped to 56 degrees. I attempted to keep oxygen in the tank by stirring, scooping+pouring tank water and keep the temp up by floating 2 litre bottles filled with hot water from the tap (we had hot water due to it being gas).. The heat would be gone from the bottles in 10 mins or less but it did seem to maintain the heat.. Obviously refilling 2 litre bottles every 10 minutes wasn't sustainable for 30 hours. I had to go to bed at some point and had to go to work the next day.

All in all, I lost my Banggai Cardinal, 1 SPS frag (Stellata), 5 snails and a couple hermits. Everything else pulled through, although I thought I was going to lose my Purple Stylo. It seemed to lose most of its polyps and most of the tissue, aside from a little "cap" of tissue/polyps on the top of the frag. Over the last few weeks the tissue has come back on most of the frag and the polyps are mostly all back.

I've since replaced the Banggai Cardinal (though the new guy isn't eating as well as the one that died) and the snails. I've held off on replacing the Hermits for now. I also just added a few more corals last night! I added the following...

2x Torch frags
Duncan frag
Hammer frag (green base/purple tip)
Green Birdsnest frag
Rainbow Pocillopora frag
Forest Fire Digitata frag
Yellow tip Austera

[Synthesis]

Sorry to hear about the loss. Good to see you didn't lose absolutely everything and had to restart.

Did you solve the lack of redundancy before adding new life? Chances are...there will be more power failures in the future.

[Sidius]

Yes I have plans in place this time. The biggest issue was lack of time prepare and not planning in advance. Lesson learned.

[Sidius]

Full tank shot
https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_135743_zpsdojckqbg.jpg

Rainbow pocillopora
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_135806_zps9pewkogg.jpg

Green birdsnest
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_135818_zps2qldsnjt.jpg

Favia/Moon coral + Duncan
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_135908_zps2i9hb4x9.jpg

Yellow-tip Austera
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_140046_zpsgepeq5ob.jpg

Frogspawn + Hammer
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/Sidius_TheShadows/33g%20Reef%20Tank/20190109_135751_zpslthmlylb.jpg

[Sidius]

No idea why it turned the pics sideways.. my apologies to anyone's neck that is viewing!

[Sidius]

Quick update.. Things are going well but there are a couple new things I'm monitoring... A little over a week ago I trimmed my chaeto back (removed half) and there seemed to be a nitrate + phosphate spike after. It wasn't insane but the nitrates went from around 2-3ppm up to around 25ppm and the phosphates went from almost undetectable up to around 0.1. They have both been dropping slowly (seemingly as the chaeto grows back, the nutrients are dropping) and after a couple small 4 gallon water changes they seem to be back down to better levels. Nitrates are back down to around 8-10ppm and phosphates are back down to around 0.03-0.05. It's very possible the rise in nutrients was also caused by a snail dying or something. It seems like they're all accounted for but it's hard to get an accurate count of my Trochus and Cerith snails since I have 10 of each and they're never all visible at the same time (hiding in or behind rocks).

I've also started slowly switching my salt over to Red Sea Coral Pro from IO Reef Crystals over the last 3 weeks (each week I use a tiny bit more CP salt and a bit less RC during my water changes) and I've noticed that slowly during that time, my yellow tipped austera seems to have had some tissue loss around the base. I'm watching it closely. It could be completely unrelated but hopefully it doesn't continue. Aside from that small tissue loss on the base, the coral seems happier than ever and has colored up more than ever before on the rest of the frag. If it continues to lose some tissue at the base, I may try clipping off the top/healthy part and tossing the base?

Lastly, I found a pretty cool phone app called Aquarium Note. I doubt it's a new app but it is new to me. Great place to keep track of maintenance, track growth or issues, keep a log of changes, livestock, gear, take pics, etc. It also has a handy tool for reading color charts when testing your water parameters.

[Frogger]

I really do not think that removing Chaeto from your tank would have any impact on the nitrates and phosphates.

How often are you testing you phosphates and nitrates and what kits are you using and have they expired?

I believe the main thing that can cause a spike is fish, coral, large snail has recently died/ disappeared in your tank.

Your corals use nitrates, phosphates as does coraline algae, and a decline in their growth can lead to an increase in the nutrients in your tank.

I have found that the best way to tell how your hard corals/ coraline algae are doing is to monitor your alkalinity usage. If your alkalinity usage is dropping, basically your measured alkalinity is increasing you could have an issue.

[Sidius]

You are likely right (same thing another experienced reefing friend recently told me). It was just an observation as it seemed to happen almost over night after removing the chaeto. I've done an extra water change this week to bring them back down to 10ppm now (I typically do a 4 gallon change every Sunday). I'm testing every other day with Salifert test kits purchased from J&L about 6 months ago.

What prompted me to start testing was basically within a day or two of removing the chaeto, I had a green film algae growing on all my glass to the point I was having to scrape it a couple times per day (I'm pretty anal about clean glass but it was very noticeable). Prior to that I hadn't had to scrape the glass in weeks. It very likely was be caused by a trochus snail that died and it was just a coincidence. I'm still trying to get an accurate count. I will remember the tip about the Alkalinity usage. I have just ordered a Red Sea Reef Foundation test kit and will track that as well.

[Synthesis]

Just an observation here, but you said that you have 20 snails in a 33 gallon tank. Snails need a constant food source. They also produce waste. Eventually your system becomes mature enough that you may not be producing enough algae as a food source and they will slowly starve. You can watch many videos online about the issues surrounding many "clean up crew" packs being huge overkill and most just dying off slowly which will cause spikes in nutrients.

To put your 20 snails in perspective, I have 8 snails (4 varieties) in a 25 gallon tank along with 4 small hermits and a single emerald crab. The tank is really clean for the most part and the snails are all very happy.

Keep a close eye on all 20 snails.

[Sidius]

I appreciate the concern and have watched all those videos. I certainly did not buy a clean up crew package. I've slowly acquired the snails I have over time, as needed. I do have over 20 snails, 5 hermits and a fire shrimp but a large percentage are small Cerith snails and I definitely don't feel I've gone way overboard for my tank. I will keep your advice in mind and I may give a few snails away if I feel my system matures to the point that they aren't getting fed.

I have watched more YouTube content and videos than I care to admit over the years lol, read more and more articles every day about every aspect of a reef system and have several conversations every week with a friend who has been keeping salt water systems for a very long time. I feed a rotation/combination of frozen brine shrimp with spirulina, nori, frozen mysis, Vitalis pellets and reef roids. Obviously not all on the same day, but like to switch it up a bit. I've been researching making my own food mix with fresh clams, mussels, mysis etc. but I just haven't found the time to go shopping with a 16 month old always on the go lol.

All that being said, it is most definitely possible that a snail died and caused the nutrient spike. I haven't found much info out there that supports removing chaeto being a cause of a nutrient spike, other than the odd person mentioning that there system takes a few days to a week to re-balance itself after removing it from their refugium. None of which said anything else about what they mean by "re-balance itself". It was merely meant as an observation since it happened so soon after removing it for the first time.

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[Synthesis]

Any update on your tank Sidius?

[Sidius]

Any update on your tank Sidius?The tank is doing well. I'm currently fighting off a small bubble algae outbreak that popped up in a couple spots. I also lost a couple corals while on a two week vacation. The person watching my tank overfed and my nutrient levels were through the roof. A series of water changes later and things were stable again.

I'm currently working on a tank upgrade and I'm close to getting it plumbed. The new tank will be a 5ft 110 gallon with both a 50 gallon Oceanic sump for filter socks + skimmer and a 75 gallon refugium (and possibly extra space for reactors or even a frag section, haven't decided). I also picked up an Aquatic Life T5 hybrid and some LED fixtures from a Reef2reef vendor (Noopsyche). Working on plumbing plans and getting all the parts for said plan..

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[mseepman]

How is this build going and how do you like the LED's you bought?

[Sidius]

It's going great! Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I love the LED's and plan to get more, actually. The controller that you have to buy takes a bit of getting used to, but it works fine and there are some tested schedules posted on their Facebook group that I'm using and my tank seems to like.

Here's a pic taken about a month ago. I've seen some noticeable growth in some new heads on my acans and my torches since this was taken. (Sorry Google drive images don't seem to be displaying properly so I've included a URL link)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13bAxFj9yawzZYaJmgClj2N35kkkc1E6V