My Desktop Reef

[Rakie]

I will miss having the usual reef critters, but it's a good trade-off I think. Much more unique than the usual reef inhabitants!

Which is exactly why I'd like a predator reef! Different is good. Most everything in this hobby is rarely too unique.

 

[seahorse_man]

Which is exactly why I'd like a predator reef! Different is good. Most everything in this hobby is rarely too unique.

Yeah, I've always liked keeping things that were different. I'm not knocking the people who like or have them, but I would never want a clownfish for example...just too boring (for me). Plus I don't like being attacked when I put my hand in there, my triggers I used to have were more friendly than some clowns.

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Here's another pic I just got that's a tiny bit better (ignore the dirty side glass). See if you can find Leafy chilling. ;Happy

 

[Rick.45cal]

You’ll be happy with the Tunze Osmolator mine has been a super solid piece of equipment. Limiting your reservoir is always a smart idea anyway. Tank is shaping up nicely, keep posting and more people will start tagging along! You’re off to a great start!

 

[seahorse_man]

You’ll be happy with the Tunze Osmolator mine has been a super solid piece of equipment. Limiting your reservoir is always a smart idea anyway. Tank is shaping up nicely, keep posting and more people will start tagging along! You’re off to a great start!

Thanks! Taking things slow since it's still pretty new, but things and plans are slowing coming together!

Glad to hear about the Tunze. I think it's all dialed in, and things appear to be working nice. I opened it up and switched the little dial to "nano" to limit the pump as well. Will keep an eye on it for the first few days and tweak if needed. Seems pretty solid so far.

 

[seahorse_man]

I got a delivery today!



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My first impression upon taking the skimmer out of the box was I was surprised the mount screw doesn't have a "cap" on the end of the screw. Most mounts have one to protect the tank (AI Prime mounts, Tunze ATO mount, etc.) so that's a bit disappointing....especially for the cost of it.



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Took out the top and middle level of my intank media rack, leaving just the bag of marinepure in that chamber, and popped the skimmer in. Really love the small footprint of it. The airstone it came with was also broken, had to use some putty to fix it. Again, kind of a disappointment for what it costs.



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Little finicky, but I know it takes some time to break in. I'll keep an eye on it for a few days and report back. Currently I'm pretty neutral towards it and not sure. Part of me thinks I got ripped off and another part of me thinks it's kind of awesome. Too soon to tell!

If all works out with it, I will setup a nice little collection cup system. Thinking something with a mason jar.

 

[seahorse_man]

Quick little 1 day update on the skimmer; it actually might end up being pretty decent! Still breaking it in and will need to tune it a bit, but it's already starting to form some gunk at the top. Have to say already a bit better than I expected! Another plus is I'm not seeing any micro bubbles escaping from it either, which I know can be an issue for many skimmers/setups.

 

[seahorse_man]

Again, sorry for the not so great pictures. Will setup my DSLR camera once I get everything situated.

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That moment when you're trying to arrange your new corals and your venomous fish has parked himself right where you want to place it. Literally hopped over as soon as I started working in the tank.

Also here is my mini airline tube siphon I made with a clear acrylic rod. It allows me to siphon waste, detritus, and just today Leafy's molting without needing to have my "dirty" human hands in the tank. It's great because I can take all the crap out without taking too much water.