Ska's 28 Macro Algae Display
 

Hey,
My tank came in. Updates will be posted on this main page as well as in the thread itself to allow for quicker viewing and commenting.
Specs will also be on this page as well as other imperitive information.

Past thread leading up to this one: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde......14&hl=30gal

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=42302
Bought So Far:
Tank: 28gal 36x12x15" or 92x30x38cm total cost: $135
Ebay order: Hagen Glo Light fixture 36" 2x39 T5 HO Total cost: $144.96
Progressive Reef order: ATI blue+, ATI aquablue special: $83.68
Orders from JLA: OA Test Kit $54.95
Fiji Pink Substrate 20lbs $32.65
Coral Frenzy Food 56g $27.95
Hydor K1 $31.95
Hydor K2 $39.95
IO Salt 50gal $16.45
Sm Proscraper $5.55
NL All purpose food 80g $7.45
Seachem Reef Plus 500ml $10.55
Seachem Trace 500ml $10.55
Ebo Jagger 100watt heater $27.95
Tunze 9002 PS $179.85
Vertex Refractometer $49.95
JLA Total:$587.66
Bulk Reef Supply Order: 25lbs Eco Rox with shipping etc
Bulk Reef Supply Total: $114.13
walmart gloves: $5
Petland: LR $33
Peppermint shrimp $27 ------------------------------------Dead
Percula clowns x2 $27= $54
Dragons tongue macro algae (free)
JLA: reef-roids $24.95
calcium addative $12.55
Kent iron and manganese additive $7.95
long proscraper $20.75
Coral from hockey nut $110:
1 multi coloured ricorda
1 purple branching gorgonian------------------Not enough light Dead
3 rhodactus mushrooms
1 pink zoas
1 ice blue cloves---------------------------- Died in Shipping
1 green spotted mushrooms------------------ Melted
red macro algae
Coral from TangDaddy $110
3 zoa colonies--------------------------------2 remaining
1 yellow/brown gorgonian----------------------Not enough light Dead
1 green with orange spot mushroom-------------Melted
1 blue mushroom
1 superman Rhodactus--------------------------Fell on sandbed Melted
1 blue ric
1 iceblue cloves----------------------------Died in shipping
Petland: $70
hawian feather duster
11 head candycane--------------------------Died during green water battle
2 pieces of LR with macroalgae (red bubble and calpura)
Husband: $80
Coral Beauty----------------------------Died for unknown reason suddenly
Petland :$30
Yellow feather duster


Running Total: $1677.31

Free: Blades (science lab pilliging)
Turkey Baster (christmas gift)
1 5gal restaurant ice cream bucket (from uncle, looking to get more)
1 margarine container for food mixing and fert dosing
2 1 gal milk jugs for tap water top off.

Yet to get:
1 5 gal bucket

Coral i still want:
Rics, yumas and other mushrooms
Cloves
Sponges
Inverts and Fish i am considering (not all in the one tank):
Skunk cleaner shrimp
Fan worms
Coral Beauty angelfish
Lots of gobies
6 line wrasse




http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...a/28gal004.jpg
June 10, 2010
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...June102010.jpg
July 17, 2010
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...a/July2010.jpg
July 26,2010
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...tankJuly26.jpg
Aug 2010
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ya/aug2010.jpg
November 2010
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...vember2010.jpg
July 2011
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...TSJuly2011.jpg

koralia 3 will be way to much flow in that tank. your going to be running into problems but a nano and a 1 would be great.

If you plan on running a HOB fung run a AC110 with cheato and live rock, i still think my AC50 barely gets the job done.

but i like where your heading, should be a cool finished project

i think this will look kool. i like the size of tank for a reef.
i expect great thignswill come out of this tank

I was thinking a K3 may be too much flow but after a lot of reading i found that the nanos arent really that great and the K1's are good but not enough flow for my tank and they are large. I would need at least a K2 or 2 K1's for my tank because it is long. But I also read quite a few threads that state go with one K higher than you would want.
Also i wanted a medium turnover. Its not needed in a softy tank but i wanted to make sure to keep debris suspended and i wanted enough flow that there would not be many if any dead spots. With 1 Koralia i will have a variety of high flow and low flow areas so that i can have a variety of corals that like different areas.
But I would love to know what kinds of things will go wrong with that amount of flow in a tank this size. People who have SPS have a lot more flow than that.

I would like to have an AC110 however im not in any rush. I know the AC i have is bairly adequate but its just for minor things like polyfibre and carbon; its not a fuge.

I agree i love this size tank. When i saw it i had to have it. I hope it turns out good but im a beginner so we shall see. The hardest part will be getting the coral. My lfs has no selection and they will not bring anything in. FW no problem but anything SW is a no. Anything i get will need to be from online vendors or local reefers (none that i know of where i live so im counting on you guys)

Just my two cents, but I have a Koralia 4 in my 20g. I also have a Seio 820. My 20g isn't as long as yours, but it's do-able. It all comes down to placement of the pumps, and rocks. I would say go with more flow than less.. but that is my opinion, as you can work around it.

That tank dose look pretty shallow though.. You'd probably have to set the K4 on the bottom facing upwards a bit.. either that or go with 2 Seio 820's. I love the Seio's .. I think I prefer them over the Koralia. They seem more solid, and keep a steady constant flow, whereas I find the Koralia all over the place, with weak spots and strong spots. And yes, they are large, even more so in a small tank!

Also.. to add, if you want something big and pink, on the verge of red as a centerpiece.. I'd recommend a nice big Brain Coral. They are pretty easy to keep, very hardy (at least in my experience) . Blue corals seem somewhat rare, but ric's are commonly sold in blue. Blue zoo's are amazing too.

Thanks for the input OCDP.
I agree more flow is better than too little, however i also dont want the shallow sand bed blowing around everywhere, thats why i decided K3. Also i like the idea of the random water movement. A higher water movement coral can be placed in the higher flow area as apposed to a coral that likes lower flow.

Yes blue corals are kinda rare but thats okay i plan on taking the hobby very slowly so im not in any rush to pack the tank full of blue corals in 6 months. I just want to have a few small frags and watch everything grow and take over the tank to give that wild look.

Thanks for the brain suggestion. I do have it on my list but im worried that if the centerpiece area is on the rocks (it will depend on rock placement) then i would tear the flesh. Brains belong on the sand. But, it is on my list of maybe.
Also on my maybe list are but are only on the list because of colour:
RBTA
pink birds nest
sun coral
group of feather dusters or coco worms or christmas worm
flower tree coral red/orange
Carnation tree coral
Orange tree gorgonian
Yellow tree gorg
red sea fan
red brain
blasto
red macro algae like kelp or red grape
*Again this list is just for the colours not what i intend to keep* The list will be edited down to no heavy feedings, non agressive species and species that do not need calcium comming out the yin yang.

This tank will not have a lot of coral. Just a few species to grow out. I saw some electric blue shrooms as well that i am now dreaming about in there too. :)

You've got some really difficult to keep non-photosynthetic filter feeders (azooxanthellate) on that list. Have you seen this article before? http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-02/feature/index.php If those are what you want to get into its worth reading.

While you're starting out and wanting to do a mixed reef I'd cut that list back to RBTA, Birdsnest, Open Brain, Blasto (expensive), feather dusters and macro algae. Sun corals while not necessarily difficult do require almost daily feeding of each individual polyp... its a lot of work and makes going on vacation a pain. If red is your thing you could also add an acan to that list.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...aneyedo/72.jpg

I disagree... it will be about 30x turnover, and with it being a 36" tank, mounting the K3 at one end would work well I think. :wink:

he is looking at keeping softies so if you put a K3 on one end there will be way to much flow on one end of the tank, actually to mush for what he wants to keep. with a k1 on one end and a nano on the other this should balance it out with enough flow. I reccomended adding the nano since it was longer.

whatcaneyedo: Yes i know most on my list are not worth keeping in my tank. Esp for a beginner. I just have them on the list for colour so people know approx what i am looking for (colour wise). I have not decided anything yet and it will be quite a while before i decide what i would want to get for my centerpiece. So no rush and yes i am slowly doing research on these items. Most are off the list.
is that your acan? it looks awsome. I notice your in PG. 8 hours away from me. hmmmm lol.
Lorenz0: from everyone that has given me advice and from everything i have read you are the only person that is against the K3 in my tank. Ive seen a 20gal with a k3 in it for softies. My tank is 28gal 36" Long. Ive even been told to go for 2 K3's one at each end or 2 K2's even a K4 and a K1. I chose 1 K3. Lots of flow will help to prevent algae and deterius build up. Yes i will have a lot of flow in one area but ive also seen shrooms growing in areas like that. Cloves which i really want need medium flow to prevent algae from growing in between the polyps.
I dont want LOW flow i want a medium flow. Koralias dont preform top notch for very long. Also whenever getting a filter/power head/etc always get one bigger than what you need because of preformance issues most do not reach their gph and are slightly under that and with time their gph decreases even furthur. About 30x turnover is not bad. Its not sps turnover which is a lot its just under that.
To my understanding with nanos the most important parts of the hobby that you need to get right are good lighting, good water for waterchanges (salinity included), and good water flow.

Oh and PS to everyone im a she not a he LMAO :)