Hey all,
As a grad student, I don't have a lot of money. As such, I have long been limited to a nano. I've been in the hobby for about three years, first with a 12 gallon long, and second with a 14 gallon IM Nuvo, both pictured below.
12 Gallon:
14 Gallon:
Someone broke into my car two weeks ago and stole a ton of camera equipment. Though this was a bummer, I am using the insurance money to build a new, big and bad tank, and I hope some of you will want to follow along.
The tank:
I found a decommissioned SCA 50 gallon cube with stand, sump, and a Kessil a360we for a good price locally, and I couldn't pass up the deal.
Plumbing:
Plumbing is an amalgamation of what was included from the previous build, and what I could afford. I chose compression fittings because, undoubtedly, I will be moving several times in the near future and I would like to limit the amount of fittings I have to buy.
Sump:
I'm attempting to mirror BRS' and WWC's modified method. This entails maintaining a refugium and bioblocks to maximize surface area for nitrifying bacteria.
The skimmer is an eshopps s-120. This will be my first attempt at running and setting a skimmer, so I am really excited.
The refugium is just the center compartment with chaeto and a 24" Marine Orbit Pro over the top. The light is scheduled to come on opposite the tank lights.
The return pump is just the crummy stock pump, for now. I hope to upgrade soon.
Rock:
For sand I went with Caribsea's Special Grade Arag-Alive because I plan to be pusing a lot of flow through the tank. For base rock, I tried Caribsea's Life Rock, since it was so cheap on Amazon ($65 for 40 lbs).
Amazon goofed and sent me THREE boxes of the stuff instead of one.
First attempt at scapeing the tank:
Was far too busy, and left no space for swimmers or sticks to flourish.
Back to the drawing board:
Second attempt:
I was happy enough with this, so I filled the tank with water and went to bed and let it settle out over night.
After the inevitable troubleshooting of a leaky bulkhead, I am sitting at a 7/10. I tried to maximize space to mount coral on flats, while providing an interesting aesthetic.
Flow:
Flow is hopefully going to be accomplished by two Rossmont Movers mounted to the back glass, and about 1000gph through the return pump
Cycling:
I added 32 oz of FritzZyme 9 about a week ago; now we wait! Ammonia is already testing 0, but I'm going to give it another week before introducing any fishey bois.
Here's my proposed stocking list:
Thank you for stopping by!
ProtoNate
As a grad student, I don't have a lot of money. As such, I have long been limited to a nano. I've been in the hobby for about three years, first with a 12 gallon long, and second with a 14 gallon IM Nuvo, both pictured below.
12 Gallon:
14 Gallon:
Someone broke into my car two weeks ago and stole a ton of camera equipment. Though this was a bummer, I am using the insurance money to build a new, big and bad tank, and I hope some of you will want to follow along.
The tank:
I found a decommissioned SCA 50 gallon cube with stand, sump, and a Kessil a360we for a good price locally, and I couldn't pass up the deal.
Plumbing:
Plumbing is an amalgamation of what was included from the previous build, and what I could afford. I chose compression fittings because, undoubtedly, I will be moving several times in the near future and I would like to limit the amount of fittings I have to buy.
Sump:
I'm attempting to mirror BRS' and WWC's modified method. This entails maintaining a refugium and bioblocks to maximize surface area for nitrifying bacteria.
The skimmer is an eshopps s-120. This will be my first attempt at running and setting a skimmer, so I am really excited.
The refugium is just the center compartment with chaeto and a 24" Marine Orbit Pro over the top. The light is scheduled to come on opposite the tank lights.
The return pump is just the crummy stock pump, for now. I hope to upgrade soon.
Rock:
For sand I went with Caribsea's Special Grade Arag-Alive because I plan to be pusing a lot of flow through the tank. For base rock, I tried Caribsea's Life Rock, since it was so cheap on Amazon ($65 for 40 lbs).
Amazon goofed and sent me THREE boxes of the stuff instead of one.
First attempt at scapeing the tank:
Was far too busy, and left no space for swimmers or sticks to flourish.
Back to the drawing board:
Second attempt:
I was happy enough with this, so I filled the tank with water and went to bed and let it settle out over night.
After the inevitable troubleshooting of a leaky bulkhead, I am sitting at a 7/10. I tried to maximize space to mount coral on flats, while providing an interesting aesthetic.
Flow:
Flow is hopefully going to be accomplished by two Rossmont Movers mounted to the back glass, and about 1000gph through the return pump
Cycling:
I added 32 oz of FritzZyme 9 about a week ago; now we wait! Ammonia is already testing 0, but I'm going to give it another week before introducing any fishey bois.
Here's my proposed stocking list:
- BABY yellow or sailfin tang
- Tang police incoming. My LFS and I have a great relationship; they often will get them in at 1"-2", I believe this is a fine size for the 50Ga. The tang will be returned as soon as it reaches 4" and traded for another and allowed to grow out.
- Lawnmower Blenny
- Watchman Goby
- Tailspot Blenny
- Pair of Ocellaris
- Flame Angel
- Flasher Wrasse (or another pest-eating docile wrasse)
- RBTAs
Thank you for stopping by!
ProtoNate
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