Pico reef vase

[LondonReefer]

Hi all,

Just joined the forum (but a long time reader), so I figure this a hybrid between an introduction and a new tank thread. I intend to make more of a 'tank' diary here so decided to put the thread in this section, over the new members, but let me know if I should move it.

By way of background, I've kept various tanks (mostly freshwater) on and off for several years. Currently I've got a couple of planted nano freshwater tanks but have been thinking about getting another salt water tank. I kept a red Sea max 130 when I was a teenager with limited success and intend on setting up a similar sized system (plus a sump) in a year or so when I move out of my rented flat in London.

I had been intending on setting up a Fluval Evo now but decided against it for a couple of reasons. I stumbled across the sacrilege that are reef jars/vases and have spent quite a bit of time reading up on them. Whilst I appreciate many will see this as a bad beginner tank/system, I'm hoping that my limited experience and disciplined water changes might help me along. The pros to a jar to me are obvious, small flat = limited space, my c.100% water changes take a minute, the tank is easy to move when I move in a few months time.

I guess the last bit of background is that I'm currently out of London staying at my girlfriend's for this quarantine period, I've taken the jar with me, but it'll have to be brought back (hopefully) soon.

The jar is probably 6 weeks in now, haven't had any real algae issues or diatoms

Specs:
An Ikea BEGÄRLIG vase with a diy glass lid (needs to be redone)
Air stone and pump
25 or 50W heater
Probably too much live rock
No sand (umming and arring over throwing a handful in)
Kessil A80 tuna blue

Stocking
Don't worry, this won't have any fish or inverts added to it

Hitchhikers include
A few bristle worms (need to establish how these guys do with no real food added)
A few a asterina starfish
Increasing numbers of copepods and amphipods

As much as I hate to admit it, a couple of wretched flat worms that survived dipping from an lfs frag

Maintenance schedule
Near 100% water changes with 'natural sea water' (a UK company that distributes water off of the Devon coast in the UK) 1 or 2 times a week

An unopened pot of reef roids ready to be used


Please excuse my bad pictures, all taken on my phone. The sharp eyed will notice 3 very upset corals from a shipment I had (I suspect they were too hot in the post), they are a gsp, a bunch of sulking rastas, and a (soon to be sadly removed) plug with three melting utter chaos polyps. The rest of my corals look happy to me.

Thanks in advance for the welcomes and all the great info I've found on here... Please don't give me too harder time over my tiny tank

Thanks
Ryan

 

[JoshO]

Love the idea! Think it's awesome when people attempt things that many say is impossible, and make a success of it!
Good to see my home county is contributing too!

 

[brandon429]

Great job! That coralline live rock you scored looks really mature and healthy, great frags for that jar it looks really well balanced

 

[sixty_reefer]

Welcome to R2R mate, this looks awesome looking forward to see it grow

 

[LondonReefer]

Thanks for all the kind words guys.

I'm really pleased with how it's gone so far, except for those sulking corals... I'll pull the chaos ones tonight if they continue to go down hill.

Cheers Josh. Touch wood, it's been far from impossible so far. I suspect the lack of any real livestock and the water changes help that massively.

Thanks Brandon, you've been a massive inspiration behind this jar and I'm sure I'll have to pester you for some advice at some point!

Lol let's hope things don't grow too quickly!

 

[SMSREEF]

That’s a cool looking tank. That live rock and frags look fantastic!

I read you are wanting a new top... What if you had a glass cutter make you a glass disk for the top? They could also drill a hole in it for your air line tubing. That would look pretty sleek, especially if you have them polish the edge.

 

[najer]

Great setup, good luck.

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome to R2R, awesome pico!!!

 

[LondonReefer]

Thanks guys!

I've been giving some thought to a lid, that sorta thing would be ideal. The current idea is to get a glass disk (currently it's a glass disk with around an inch of wall around it, almost like an ash tray shape) on top of something (plastic/acrylic or sealed wood) that would have the cable and airline go through the side

I'll post it up on here when I come up with a solution.

The to do list, in no particular order, is:
- Sort the lid out
- Get these unhappy corals to open
- Start feeding the tank with reef roids; as I'm away from my flat, I haven't got a pipette and so have been reluctant to throw a load of nutrients into the water column. I'm thinking of doing a heavy feeding in a couple of days and doing a water change a couple hours after
- Think of how to deal with the few flat worms (there aren't many at all, and they're mostly on the glass, but still want them gone)

 

[LondonReefer]

Quick update:

Utter chaos polyps were looking worse, have pulled them out

Have seen the odd GSP polyp come out for a bit, but the plug still looks unhappy

Rastas are still covered up, thinking of redipping them soon. Almost looks like algae is growing on them now

Fed a small (albeit a lot for the tank size) amount of reef roids into the water column. Will do a water change this evening

 

[Waters]

Very cool....don't know if you have access to Coral Magazine but there is a whole month dedicated to Vase reefs that is very good.

 

[LondonReefer]

Thanks. Can't say I do, but will have to take a look now

 

[Reeffraff]

I'm curious as to how you clean the glass.

 

[LondonReefer]

With difficulty!

It's actually had minimal algae so far so that's been okay. I'm actually intending for GSP and Xenia to grow on the back wall alongside Coraline eventually. That would leave the front third for viewing. In answer to the question I use a toothbrush right now, but I'm intending to use hydrogen peroxide at some point

 

[brandon429]

keep wiping out and up the flatworms that collect on the upper parts they'll cease one day. I had them 2 yrs worth in about 2010-2012

 

[LondonReefer]

Thanks, I've noticed them congregating near the top actually. Good to know you overcame them though

Got a couple of corals that need gluing to stop them falling off during each water change, but all seems well so far.

 

[Waters]

Thanks. Can't say I do, but will have to take a look now

This is the one if you can find it.......

CORAL Magazine New Issue “MICRO REEFS” Inside Look

A preview of articles and images in the new issue of CORAL, The Reef & Marine Aquarium Magazine, January/February 2018.

www.reef2rainforest.com

 

[LondonReefer]

This is the one if you can find it.......

CORAL Magazine New Issue “MICRO REEFS” Inside Look

A preview of articles and images in the new issue of CORAL, The Reef & Marine Aquarium Magazine, January/February 2018.

www.reef2rainforest.com

Thanks, that looks great. I'll see if I can get a copy in the UK

 

[LondonReefer]

Quick update, nothing majorly interesting

Corals all seem happy except for the two sulkers

The GSP is showing signs of life, so I'm hopeful for it. That frag isn't actually the only GSP in the jar, there's one that fell down the side early on which looks great. So I'm convinced the frag got too stressed in the post. Some pictures below.

At night the star fish come out. I think they're great little things but appreciate many think of them as pests. What do we think?

 

[LondonReefer]

Will post a proper update in a week or so (got a fair few corals coming so will wait for them). But thought it would be good to show the growth I've had in this jar. Using the sunny d zoa's as an example (before and after shot below, one of the afters is them closed up after a feeding) 4/5 polyps has become 11 (including small ones).