7.1 AIO first reef tank

[Chikpeas]

Hello and welcome !!!
I’m relatively new to the reef side of saltwater, any big mistakes you see along the journey feel free to shout it out!

Going to try to post step by step to make sure it’s done right


(Plans and tech at very bottom)





here’s the tank! It has a self leveling mat and passed the stress test well

Here we go; Take Two;

tech plans for this tank:

Lights: kessil a80 (need to purchase
Heater: Aqueon 50w (subject to change…)
Pump: syccle? Adjustable flow- amazing so far, we’ll see.
Water: RODI filling system
Salt: Red Sea coral pro
Test kits:Red Sea kit
Lid: coming soon) custom built acrylic 5mm lid from Etsy!
Heater: simple aqueon for now.

 

[Chikpeas]

Stress test perfect, replaced pump, replaced sand

 

[Chikpeas]

YES I DID IT!!!!!

Used Red Sea Coral Pro salt and it was amazing… mixing time was so short, I barely had to raise the salinity !

After calibration on ye ol refracto, the salinity is at a solid 35 ppt ! 1.025/26 roughly— I’m really happy with that.

Accidentally made a DSB i thought that was a five pound bag— I actually scooped a LOT of it out too, but I want sand critters so that’s ok.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Looks great

 

[Chikpeas]

I got my helios heater installed!!! It was easy though it was very daunting when I first opened it. Idk how to hide any cords yet, I’ll figure that out someday.



Apparently my aqueon Was work wrong, my thermometer wasn’t- but I like this better.

I ALSO did some tests because my tank is crystal clear…

PH was 8.1? Red Sea is difficult to read for ph so I might try to get a hannah checker for that…
dKH was 9.5
And my ammonia was…. 0-.5-.1???
Going to check my nitrite and nitrate today.

I did use Live wet sand, but that still didn’t seem right. Also going to probably start feeding my tank some shrimp if that’s the case.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I have started tanks in a variety of ways, and have also done full sterile starts (all new sand and dry rock), but I suggest to get a piece of rock from an lfs or somewhere to really get a variety of bacteria in there for your cycle. Bottled bacteria is good too, and ocean live rock even better.

Just a suggestion. You'll still cycle without, but you'll see a lot of uglies and it'll take longer.

 

[Chikpeas]

I have started tanks in a variety of ways, and have also done full sterile starts (all new sand and dry rock), but I suggest to get a piece of rock from an lfs or somewhere to really get a variety of bacteria in there for your cycle. Bottled bacteria is good too, and ocean live rock even better.

Just a suggestion. You'll still cycle without, but you'll see a lot of uglies and it'll take longer.

I’m terrified of getting live rock from lfs— I really don’t have the interest in fighting the pests off

I bought TurboStart 900 - Fritz and currently have it sitting in my fridge, but I’m not sure when I should throw it in the tank… or how? As in once I toss it in, I’m assuming I have to feed them constantly? I haven’t done the research on it much yet other than saying to add live animals 24 hours later and I ain’t doing that

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I’m terrified of getting live rock from lfs— I really don’t have the interest in fighting the pests off

I bought TurboStart 900 - Fritz and currently have it sitting in my fridge, but I’m not sure when I should throw it in the tank… or how? As in once I toss it in, I’m assuming I have to feed them constantly? I haven’t done the research on it much yet other than saying to add live animals 24 hours later and I ain’t doing that

If you'd like a "food source" for bacteria, and would rather not use fish or something uncontrollable like letting a shrimp rot, then I suggest using Dr Tims ammonia. I used this on a dry rock start with bottled bacteria and it supplies ammonia to the bacteria to process into nitrite then nitrate.

Ammonium Chloride For Fishless Cycles

Dr.Tim's Ammonium Chloride is made up of reagent grade materials and is perfect for fishless cycles in reef aquariums. Odorless Pure Ammonium Chloride No Unnecessary Additives Works Great With Dr.Tim's One & Only Ammonium Chloride can be used to simulate organic matter that would naturally...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Chikpeas]

— Added a Random flow generator as pictured below and the surface and flow is awesome!


I ran full cycle tests with Red Sea… I struggle with this kit.

Salinity: dropped .5, added back +.5 mixed water for what was lost

Ammonia: 0.5 (might be less it’s hard to read,,,)
Nitrates: 2p
Nitrites: 0.05 ppm

added Nothing to start the cycle but fresh live sand.

Drew a smiley face in the film algae

 

[Chikpeas]

Going to do a very long (2.5 one way) drive to get a chunk of live rock and a small cuc crew next paycheck

Going to continue testing parameters through the week for fun.
Found a fish store that looks like they’d have quality rock (everything near me is covered in pests.)

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Best of luck getting the live rock!

 

[Chikpeas]

Gonna do a little (15-20%) water change for the first time tonight, mostly for funsies.

Ammonia went up by .5 because I fed my tank and stirred up the sand bed. Lots of bubbles.
Upcoming Changes: arriving tomorrow
— Adding live phytoplankton
— 5lbs. of bare ocean rock from TBS purchased ! (won’t get here until the 16th. Time to wait )
— purchased Kessil a80 tuna nano led light and stand.
— purchased phosphate ULR hannah marine checker
— purchased calcium test kit from Salifert


Future:
— Cuc crew
— Copepods

FISH FIRST OR CORAL???
coral. duh.

I would rather start with some hardy Zoas. I’m sick of dealing with fish, I need a break from them for a While.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Love the TBS rock. I got 20# from them last summer.

 

[Chikpeas]

Added some TurboStart 900 just to kick start a cycle until the TBS gets here!!! If there’s any die-off during shipment, hopefully it will be taken care of that way quickly.

Here’s the tank with the Kessel a80 light installed!! Love it, though I have no idea what to set it at just yet.

Stickied my Helios controller to the wood panel and love it being there.

 

[Chikpeas]

Yasha goby to arrive Tuesday—

 

[Chikpeas]

Left for snails….. returned with:

2 red legged hermit crabs
1 nass
1 stocky cerith snail

Aaaaand

A pink streaked wrasse




Had my wrasse a total of 6 hours before it disappeared off the face of the earth. Guess we’ll find out where it went if the ammonia spikes.

—- it was acclimated over 1 hour and showed no signs of stress once in tank.

 

[Chikpeas]

—-Added a little yasha shrimp goby today
Blue Zoo is an amazing vendor.
Included manual, drip line, stress and healing meds.


Going to keep an eye on parameters, I really screwed things up trying to fish out my dumb wrasse the other day. Stirred up Everything, and it all went into the display. Ammonia Spike only went up to .2 and was 0 (or near idk this test.) in 24 hours.

 

[SilverRanger]

following, did you find the wrasse

 

[BlazerPR]

Hello and welcome !!!
I’m relatively new to the reef side of saltwater, any big mistakes you see along the journey feel free to shout it out!

Going to try to post step by step to make sure it’s done right


(Plans and tech at very bottom)





here’s the tank! It has a self leveling mat and passed the stress test well

Here we go; Take Two;

tech plans for this tank:

Lights: kessil a80 (need to purchase
Heater: Aqueon 50w (subject to change…)
Pump: syccle? Adjustable flow- amazing so far, we’ll see.
Water: RODI filling system
Salt: Red Sea coral pro
Test kits:Red Sea kit
Lid: coming soon) custom built acrylic 5mm lid from Etsy!
Heater: simple aqueon for now.

Welcome to the group !! I as well started this 6 days ago good luck ! On yours and hopefully we will also be successful in this hobby

 

[Chikpeas]

following, did you find the wrasse

Yes!!!! He jumped into the back chamber but he somehow magically got UNDERNEATH my bio media!! Perfectly fine, no injuries, healthy.

I caught him using a gravel vac tube and spent the next two hours that morning shaping a net to fit the AIO chamber. It was stupid difficult.

Here’s a pic I just took; the yasha Goby has claimed my wrasse. I’ve named my wrasse Shrimp. My wrasse keeps trying to scoot further away and the goby continues to invade his space.

Until my custom lid comes in, I have a hodge podged cover thing no one can escape from.