My 650 Peninsula build and setup

[submaweiner]

Filled the tank a few days ago and commenced the cycle. Not sure what to expect with dry rock and bare bottom. Planning for a long cycle but excited to kick this off! I’m not funning lights or filtration at this time. I used microbacter7 and XLM start with some bio brick. I placed some additional rock in the sump to gain some additional surface area and substrate filtration.

 

[submaweiner]

Catching up with my tank status, I cycled my tank for 52 days…again this is bare bottom so I took a little bit longer. I added brightwell brick with microbacter7 along with other bottled bacteria and coralline algae (purple up) to aid in the process. I tested every few days and watched, my amount, nitrites and nitrates spike and drop as expected. I had. Brief cloudy algae bloom but it quickly dissipated.

I made ~170 gallons of salt water using Redsea coral pro salt. I monitored everything with my apex and hooked up my trident and dosers at the end of the cycle to test and verify operations and not kill anything if I messed it up. I am managing my alk at 9.5-10, cal at 420 and mag at 1400. It is synced up with the trident and has been spot on for a few weeks now.

I decided to add a clean-up crew of 10 large turbo snails and 12 Trochus snails to eat the green/brown algae forming on the rocks and glass. They cleaned it off within 4-5 days and tank is crystal clear.

 

[submaweiner]

I added two clowns, a RTBA which they instantly hosted. Corals added were GSP which I glued to the over flow, 2 plating red monti frags to test out the tank and see if I could host some fish and a few cheap corals. The RBTA was angry for 3 days at which time I cut in half my lighting using acclimation for 7 days on my 4 Radions. The RBTA is fully opened and is happy the following day.

1 week later I picked up several more monti’s from a local reefer got very very cheap. The frags are sunset monti, mystic sunset monti, purple grape monti, cherry tree monti and bubble gum digi. All pieces are very large frags and broken off chunks.

I glued the majority of the encrusting montis to the floor of the tank to start my bare bottom Coverage of montis. My goal is to have the entire bottom covered in beautiful montis and other encrusting corals, and have the over flow a living wall of GSP. I plan to have mostly sticks for the rest of the tank with a few softies and Zola’s to fill in the rock work. Here are a few pics of what my tank and sump are looking like today.

Equipment is working great. I had to replace a bushing on one of my 4K gyres. I purchased two more Neptune wav’s which have not arrived yet. The Nyos skimmer is working great and the apex setup I have is a unbelievable, I do not know how I did it before without it!

 

[submaweiner]

I added an IKEA cabinet to the side of my tank and added some acrylic doser containers from BRS for a total of 6 compartments. I ran the lines to the Apex DOS’ and hid them in a white cable cover.

cabinet added extra space for all my extras and cleaned off my countertop.

 

[Dcal]

I added an IKEA cabinet to the side of my tank and added some acrylic doser containers from BRS for a total of 6 compartments. I ran the lines to the Apex DOS’ and hid them in a white cable cover.

cabinet added extra space for all my extras and cleaned off my countertop.

love it! such a good idea and perfectly excecuted

 

[submaweiner]

 

[submaweiner]

I have added some Chaeto to the refugium and it is already taking off doing very well. I’m using a small pump to move and roll it in the refugium chamber.

I installed two mangroves in the sump held in place by a plant holder made by poth-o-carry. I also added 4 plants to the display tank which are doing well with visible plant and root growth.

 

[submaweiner]

Some updates on livestock. I have added numerous frags and mini colonies to kick start my reef. We now have 2 clams and around 20 fish. I’m Seeing new growth on many of the acros and montis along with zoas and two new baby Jawbreaker mushrooms popped up recently. Here are a few pictures:

 

[submaweiner]

A few updated photos of my progress. Things are growing well. I started growing my own phytoplankton, copepods and Rotifers over the last three weeks. I have a sustainable food source and harvest every two days or so and weekly on the phyto. Think the corals and fish really like it. I dose AB+ ever two days mixed with reef Chili.

 

[submaweiner]

A few updated photos of my progress. Things are growing well. I started growing my own phytoplankton, copepods and Rotifers over the last three weeks. I have a sustainable food source and harvest every two days or so and weekly on the phyto. Think the corals and fish really like it. I dose AB+ ever two days mixed with reef Chili.

 

[Devaji]

looking good man! I have yet to venture into SPS for my 650P.

 

[submaweiner]

I have not updated in quite some time and thought I would give a status. I have had pretty good success with coral growth so far. Things are really starting to color up.

I add AB+, reef chili and Reef fuel twice a week and the corals seem to love it. I also add phyto plankton that I am growing daily with each feeding.

I had some bubble algae spreading in various hard to reach crevices and rockwork so I have dosed Vibrant which works great with zero issues to my corals in the last 4 weeks. It is quickly disappearing.

Here are some updated shots from the last week or two.