Twin 20 gallon nano builds

[spiffyreefer]

Hello all! I’m new to the hobby as of March 2020. I started out with a waterbox cube 10, but quickly realized that my dreams outweighed the size of that tank. I have always loved the ocean and I love to learn about fish and corals, so this is really the perfect hobby for me (also I’m a scientist so hello marine biology!) I’m doing a lot of research and learning as I go, but there are definitely knowledge gaps that I continue to work on, so appreciate your advice!

After having my cube 10 for about 4 months, I decided to tear it down and go a little bigger. With my first tank I’ve already learned that my bioload is too high (struggling with diatoms and hair algae) and I tend to overfeed and my CUC isn’t doing a great job. I also went heavy on the rockwork. I regret this now (although I think my aquascape would be cool in a 50 gallon tank, where I could more horizontally shaped rock also). I also regret putting the tank on the kitchen counter, even though I love looking at my fish in that spot. Here is a picture of my cube 10 setup:

So, now I am in the process of building two cube 20 nanos. For the first build, these are my equipment so far:

Waterbox Cube 20
Waterbox Oak Cabinet
AI Nero 5 Powerhead
AI Prime HD 16Duetto ATO
Waterbox Clear 6 (ATO reservoir)
inTank Aquatics Media Basket (Chamber 1)
inTank Aquatics Media Basket (Chamber 2)
Tunze Eco Chic Refugium Light
Cobalt Aquatics Neotherm 75 Watt Heater
Life Rock Shapes
Carib Sea Fiji Pink Live Sand (20 lbs)

I plan to replace the filter sock with an inTank media basket for chamber 1. I also plan to add an in-tank chaeto refugium in the middle chamber. This may not be necessary, but I like the idea of cultivating some pods in the tank.

I placed the Duetto ATO sensor in the middle chamber because I was having a problem with current in the return chamber. When I first set up the ATO sensor, I had it in the return chamber, but it overfilled my tank and totally dropped the salinity (not sure why exactly, I had it set up correctly). I’m using a Waterbox Clear 6 inside the cabinet as an ATO reservoir. I have all the equipment hooked up to a backup battery.

I noticed there weren’t many nooks and crannies in the life rock shapes, so I drilled a few more holes for coral frags in the aquascape. I wanted to have more sand space for corals and vertical swimming space for my fish in this build, so I used less than 20 lbs of life rock shapes to build the aquascape.

I’m planning to transfer the livestock from my cube 10 into this tank:
1 Black Snowflake Ocellaris
1 Black Ice Ocellaris
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
3 Sexy Shrimp
2 Pom Pom Crabs
2 Rock Flower Anemones

I’m considering adding a randalli pistol shrimp for my goby. I would also like to add a blue tuxedo urchin because I think they are super cool, but the rest of the CUC is TBD. I had problems with diatoms and green hair algae in my cube 10. I’m still reeling in my feeding practices, but I need a better CUC than I had before (suggestions welcome)!

I would love to add a bubble tip for my clowns when the tank is more mature and stable, but I’ve read a lot of stories about them being sucked into the powerhead and nuking the tank. Does anyone know if a nem guard exists for the nero 5?

As far as corals go, I’m still deciding. Since I’m new to the hobby, I will probably go with hardier LPS and softies for now (suggestions welcome)!

Anyway, stay tuned! I’m in the process of correcting the salinity since the ATO screwed it up, then I will add bacteria and fishless cycle the tank for a couple of weeks before I start moving the livestock over slowly. I'm looking for suggestions for fish in the next cube 20 build (definitely want a firefish, but not sure what else)!

Here's a picture of my new build (still need to fix the ATO tube) and a video of my sweet little sexy shrimp.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Awesome pair of builds!

Does anyone know if a nem guard exists for the nero 5?

- You can find plenty of 3D printed 'nem guards on eBay. (I use the Nero 5 on my 14 gallon anemone tank).

Regards other fish recommendations for smaller nanos:

Trimma ("Peppermint") Goby
Green Banded Goby
Yellow or Blue Lined Goby
Yellow Clown Goby
Royal Gramma
Pink Streak ("Cryptic") Wrasse
Possum Wrasse
Yellow Headed Jawfish

 

[Pmacha1a]

How do you like the Tunze light? I also have a waterbox 20 cube & I’m thinking of throwing it in my middle chamber with some chaeto. Has it worked well for you?

 

[spiffyreefer]

How do you like the Tunze light? I also have a waterbox 20 cube & I’m thinking of throwing it in my middle chamber with some chaeto. Has it worked well for you?

The chaeto refugium has worked really well for me. I tend to overfeed and do not run a protein skimmer. BUT I did not like the TUNZE refugium light. It's too large to sit perpendicular across the middle chamber, so I basically hung it up and down inside the middle chamber. I ended up removing it and replacing it with a JBJ nano glo. It's less expensive and I use it on three nano tanks. I've had to peel some of the vinyl off the back of my tanks to use it, but it's really worked out the best.

Nano Glo – LED Refugium Light - Bulk Reef Supply