15 Gallon Nano Build!

[Aqua Fella]

Hello! I’m finally getting around to my build thread! Tank specs are as follows:

• Tank: Fluval Flex 15 gallon
• Modifications: inTank 1st chamber media basket and sealed lower weir with piece of glass
• Light: Viparspectra 165w LED Red Sea ReefLed 50
• Cycled: FritzZyme Turbo Start 900 + ammonia
• Water: Aquatic Life RO Buddie plus DI, 4 stage, 50 GPD
• Salt: Fritz Aquatics Reef Pro Mix
• Filtration: Filter floss, Chemi-Pure Blue, MarinePure, BrightWater Bio NS1 Series, BrightWater S-Mini Series
• Rocks: Pukani dry rock
• Substrate: Bare bottom
• Heater: Hygger 300w with InkBird ITC-306T controller
• Wave maker: Jebao SLW-20
• Return pump: Stock Fluval pump
• Pods: AlgaGen ApoCyclops and Tisbe pods
• Fish: 1 Chilled Frostbite clown and 1 Midnight Chocolate Lightning clown
• Invertebrates: none
• Corals: Green Polyp Toadstool, Green Mushroom, and Forest Fire Digitata

Here is a picture of the Flex getting wet for the very first time!

Started the cycle with ammonia and FritzZyme Turbo Start 900 and 5 days later we had this:

Waited a week or two longer and then added my first tank inhabitants! Two clowns and a toadstool that came with a green mushroom! More pics to follow

 

[blaxsun]

Nice Fluval - but what's with the egg crate? If you're going to go bare bottom I would probably lose this.

 

[Aqua Fella]

Nice Fluval - but what's with the egg crate? If you're going to go bare bottom I would probably lose this.

Thanks! And since those pics I’ve cut the egg crate smaller and elevated it off the bottom by an inch to make easy detritus clean up

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks! And since those pics I’ve cut the egg crate smaller and elevated it off the bottom by an inch to make easy detritus clean up

Trust me - my LFS uses egg crate for all their frag tanks and they're ripping it all out and cleaning every 1-2 weeks. You're not gonna be happy with the maintenance.

 

[Aqua Fella]

Trust me - my LFS uses egg crate for all their frag tanks and they're ripping it all out and cleaning every 1-2 weeks. You're not gonna be happy with the maintenance.

Good to know, I will keep this in mind! Thanks for the advice

 

[Aqua Fella]

Here is the first corals I got over the weekend! A green tip toadstool and a green mushroom:

 

[Aqua Fella]

And here are my first inhabitants! A Chilled Frostbite clown and a Midnight Chocolate Lightning clown! They are so hard to capture a picture of because they are always moving lol.

 

[Aqua Fella]

Full tank shot!

 

[Aqua Fella]

Just picked up this Forest Fire digitata!

 

[Aqua Fella]

Switched salt mixes yesterday from Reef Crystals to Fritz Reef Pro mix and I gotta say, I’m really loving how clear it mixes up compared to the RC!

 

[_bsafarijoe]

Hello! I’m finally getting around to my build thread! Tank specs are as follows:

• Tank: Fluval Flex 15 gallon
• Modifications: inTank 1st chamber media basket and sealed lower weir with piece of glass
• Light: Viparspectra 165w LED
• Cycled: FritzZyme Turbo Start 900 + ammonia
• Water: Aquatic Life RO Buddie plus DI, 4 stage, 50 GPD
• Salt: Fritz Aquatics Reef Pro Mix
• Filtration: Filter floss, Chemi-Pure Blue, MarinePure, BrightWater Bio NS1 Series, BrightWater S-Mini Series
• Rocks: Pukani dry rock
• Substrate: Bare bottom
• Heater: Hygger 300w with InkBird ITC-306T controller
• Wave maker: Jebao SLW-20
• Return pump: Stock Fluval pump
• Pods: AlgaGen ApoCyclops and Tisbe pods
• Fish: 1 Chilled Frostbite clown and 1 Midnight Chocolate Lightning clown
• Invertebrates: none
• Corals: Green polyp toadstool and green mushroom

Here is a picture of the Flex getting wet for the very first time!

Started the cycle with ammonia and FritzZyme Turbo Start 900 and 5 days later we had this:

Waited a week or two longer and then added my first tank inhabitants! Two clowns and a toadstool that came with a green mushroom! More pics to follow

I also have a flex! Just an FYI, I hate the filtration system on mine, so I have elected to completely remove my back wall and drill it. I don't recommend this, as it has been a pain, but you can buy inserts or make them with a 3d printer that can fix this. I also recommend investing in a small tank that you can set higher as a refugium (I had a lot of fun with it and it removes nutrients! I can send you plans!)

 

[Aqua Fella]

I also have a flex! Just an FYI, I hate the filtration system on mine, so I have elected to completely remove my back wall and drill it. I don't recommend this, as it has been a pain, but you can buy inserts or make them with a 3d printer that can fix this. I also recommend investing in a small tank that you can set higher as a refugium (I had a lot of fun with it and it removes nutrients! I can send you plans!)

A small refugium would be pretty nice to put on it once I get a little bigger bioload going!

 

[REEFER-RICK]

Full tank shot!

I would hang that light not having it sit on egg crate could fall in your tank just saying plus to close to the water level think theycall for about 6 to 8 inches away

 

[Aqua Fella]

Full tank shot! So far everything is looking great and the toadstool almost doubled in size!

 

[bstodds15]

This looks awesome - keep it up!

 

[Aqua Fella]

This looks awesome - keep it up!

Thank you!

 

[_bsafarijoe]

Thank you!

Hey wotw, you should block up the bottom inflow. Makes the surface skimming better and allows you to utilize gravity to run media boxes. I also really recommend you grab a filter compartment upgrade box.

 

[Aqua Fella]

Hey wotw, you should block up the bottom inflow. Makes the surface skimming better and allows you to utilize gravity to run media boxes. I also really recommend you grab a filter compartment upgrade box.

Yep, the bottom weir has a piece of glass siliconed over it and I have a inTank media basket in chamber 1