|
04/06/2009, 08:54 AM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
OwNeD162's Remixed Nano - Australian Adventure
Ok, so after two years of reading (and saving) I’m finally able to start a thread about my very own slice of the ocean ! Special thanks to all those who’ve helped me (and hopefully continue ), especially the ‘clubhouse’ and tswifty Originally I bought a used Bay-Front tank that was old and dirty: And cleaned it up to be like this: But after much planning I decided that it was just a bit too big, and was gonna cost too much money at this stage in my life. So instead, I picked up a bargin’ on a 2ft x 1ft x 1ft tank that hadn’t been collected by the person who ordered it (I put black backing on the two sides that will be against walls ):
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/06/2009, 08:55 AM | #2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
I then bought the cabinet (wood and tools was going to cost too much):
With the help of my granddad it was stained, and sealed: It’s location in the fish room (aka my bedroom ): All of the goodies sitting in front of it just waiting to be setup: Preview shot of tank with lights on : My current list of equipment: Heto 150W DE MH + 2 x 24W Actinics Hailea 1/10HP Chiller Vortech MP20 Two-little-fishies PhosBan reactor (will be running carbon) Ehiem Universal Pump 1250 EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB Fuge + Skimmer 2 x 50W Hydor THEO Heaters API Saltwater Master Test Kit API Reef Master Test Kit Refractometer Digital PH Pen and other bits a pieces… I’ll be picking up an RO/DI filter hopefully in about 2 weeks, and after that I’ll be able to fill this baby up ! I’ll be picking up all the components for my QT tank in about 2 weeks too Ok, so, my plan is to have a mixed reef with the following: LPS SPS Softies 2 x Ocellaris Clowns 1 x Firefish (I will be building a mesh cover for the tank) 1 x Royal Gramma Cleanup crew… So yer… Please tag along Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated… The main thing I’m trying to work out now is cleanup crew and what order to put the fish in… I’m thinking, Firefish, Clowns, Royal Gramma? I’ve really got no idea about cleanup crew… I’ve sent a couple of emails to ReefCleaners.org but with no reply… I know I need: ? x Nassurius 1 x Turbo ? x Cerith 1 / 2 x Blue Legged Hermit Crab ???? Cheers, OwNeD (aka Mitchell)
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/06/2009, 09:12 AM | #3 |
Keeping it Simple
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 2,637
|
Looks great! Your equipment list is very nice, and the order of the fish seems about right as well (either way, I think the Firefish should definitely go in first).
You may want to consider going with just snails; sometimes people have problems with a rouge hermit or two picking the snails off. Nassurius are carnivorous, so they'll pick up excess foods and such. If any food falls on the rock just blow it off. Looking forward to seeing it running!
__________________
Kasey Current Tank Info: None |
04/06/2009, 09:13 AM | #4 |
thread reader
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minot, ND
Posts: 1,639
|
found it, nice into owned. glad to you that you have been able to hold off going wet for so long while you collect all the right equipment, its so much easier that way.
/subscribed
__________________
You must use "Regular Clorox" Any scents like "New Fresh Scent Clorox" will kill all of your animals in a few minutes (don't ask) "Paul b" Current Tank Info: 84 gallon(60x18x18) tank, 40 breeder frag, 30 gallon lps |
04/06/2009, 09:13 AM | #5 |
thread reader
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minot, ND
Posts: 1,639
|
double post
are you going to get all the fish at the same time to QT them or you picking one thing up at a time?
__________________
You must use "Regular Clorox" Any scents like "New Fresh Scent Clorox" will kill all of your animals in a few minutes (don't ask) "Paul b" Current Tank Info: 84 gallon(60x18x18) tank, 40 breeder frag, 30 gallon lps |
04/06/2009, 09:13 AM | #6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Greensburg, PA
Posts: 431
|
subscibed
|
04/06/2009, 09:17 AM | #7 |
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 1,556
|
How big is the bowfront?
Looks like you've got yourself some pretty premium equipment there (MH, Vortec, etc.)! As for the cleaning crew, we went "crabless" for the AGA92 and still suffer the occasional snail death. Not sure if we would have had more casualties with crabs in the tank or not. Besides a couple of outbreaks of bubble algae, they've done a great job of keeping the tank clean. The end goal I went with for calculating the number of snails is 1 to 2 snails per gallon. We started with a quarter of the final number and have added more of the various types as needed. For a 15G, you'll want to keep your stock list pretty small. One or two fish max. Make sure you have good "jump protection". We've lost more fish in our 10G to the carpet (not anemone) than anything else. Good luck! Keep us posted.
__________________
Chris Rivers Will do computer support for frags. :) Click on the Red House to see our AGA92 Corner Reef Tank Build thread. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal (Aqualight 96W Quad 50/50, AquaClear Power Filter 70 with Chaeto lit by 6500K Bulb, AquaClear Power Head 20, 50w Tronic Heater), 92 Gal All-Glass Corner (Cycling) |
04/06/2009, 04:49 PM | #8 | |||
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
Yer, i was a bit worried about hermits picking off snails, especially in such a small tank... Is there anything especially good that hermits would help with in a CUC or are they mainly there for looks? Quote:
Its been a loooooonnnnnggggg wait, but that was hopefully my plan, to do it all right the first time, instead of spending more money doing it a second time Thanks for the subscription Quote:
Apart from the clowns who I'll probably QT together So I'll QT one, transfer it over to the tank, clean the QT and start it up again, then pickup the next, QT, etc...
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
|||
04/06/2009, 04:50 PM | #9 | ||
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
Quote:
Umm, from memory the bow front is about 120Gal... Thanks, yer, lots of LFS along the way were telling me just how cheaply they could set it all up for me, but I wanted to do it right the first time Yer, I'm starting to think that in such a small tank, crabless is probably a good idea Thanks for that, 15 - 30 snails sounds like a good sized CUC to me I'm going fairly minimal in terms of rockwork, with lots of swimming space, hence why I said 4 fish... You still think its to much? There's a thread on RC somewhere that talks about building a cover using transparent bird netting, and door framing, I'm hoping to build something just like that Will most definitely keep everyone updated !
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
||
04/07/2009, 01:10 PM | #10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 14,022
|
Looks like your off to a great start Mitchell.
I personally would lose the hermit crabs. They are cool to watch mosey around the rockwork all day, but I very steadily lost snail after snail to them. My current tank has no crabs or turbo snails in it. I like a nice mix of Super Tongan Nassarius, Cerith, and a few Trochus Snails. The Nassarius Snails will keep your sand bed spotless and stirred, and are great to watch when you feed the tank. They're usually the favorite for visitors to see, despite everything else there is in my tank. Turbo snails are kind of like a bull in a china shop IMO. Mine were constantly knocking frags and rocks to the ground. They're great if you get an algae bloom... but thus far I haven't seen the need to add them to my tank. Until I do, I'll be saving myself some headaches and not adding them. I think a nice clean up crew for a tank that size would look something like: - 10-15 Super Tongan Nassarius Snails - 20 Cerith Snails - 3 Trochus Snails
__________________
"Enough light? Heck I could go barebottom and grow SPS in the stand!" - DiscoReefRover |
04/07/2009, 02:36 PM | #11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 317
|
Nice one owned162 you will soon want to upgrade.
|
04/07/2009, 03:58 PM | #12 | ||
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
Yep, I've decided no crabs now, after reading a lot of peoples issues with them... I think I shall also take your advice and hold out on getting a turbo unless i get a really bad algae bloom. Haha, it's funny that we spend so much money on really nice fish, and coral, and guests will still just stare at a snail Thanks for the numbers on CUC, that looks perfect to me, now I just have to make sure my LFS can get all that Quote:
Thanks for looking at my thread
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
||
04/07/2009, 09:06 PM | #13 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Just ordered my RO/DI Unit !
4 Stage Reverse Osmosis with DI and TDS meter, Laundry system LOW WASTE 1.25 to 1 50 GPD/ 200 litre per day genuine Dow Filmtec membrane @50 psi, 300 LPD @ 100 psi Quality housings. Certified Australian Standard AS 3497 Stainless Steel wall bracket 1 Micron food grade polyspun sediment filter 9 ¾" (248mm) (standard size), NSF standard 42 Matrikx CTO/2 or 10/2 high quality carbon filter cartridge 9 ¾" (248mm), NSF standard 42 Dow Filmtec TFC Membrane ( standard by which all other membranes are measured) NSF standard 58 Omnipure K5555 DI cartridge (mixed bed resin) 580 grains (9,900 ppm tds) Standard type flow restrictor, Installation choice, 3/4"washing machine tap adapter or Aerator diverter. Genuine 230 psi food grade John Guest tubing (4.5 metres), NSF certified. Genuine Jaco (USA) tube fittings, NSF certified. It also comes with a hand held TDS Meter
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/08/2009, 09:13 AM | #14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 139
|
Looks like a great start! Congrats on the new build!
|
04/08/2009, 03:57 PM | #15 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
|
04/15/2009, 09:12 PM | #16 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
So I contacted the delivery company today, and my RO/DI will apparently be here either tomorrow or monday
But, in other news, I purchased a 20L bucket to store my salt Also, I've temporarily done all the piping to see what it will look like + prepare for the water test so I'll post a pic of that when I get home Also bought a 60L container for doing big water changes, got my power boards mounted on the wall behind the tank and bought a turkey baster for cleaning the rocks
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/15/2009, 09:19 PM | #17 |
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 1,556
|
Have patience...you're going to need it.
__________________
Chris Rivers Will do computer support for frags. :) Click on the Red House to see our AGA92 Corner Reef Tank Build thread. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal (Aqualight 96W Quad 50/50, AquaClear Power Filter 70 with Chaeto lit by 6500K Bulb, AquaClear Power Head 20, 50w Tronic Heater), 92 Gal All-Glass Corner (Cycling) |
04/16/2009, 12:32 PM | #18 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fort wayne, IN
Posts: 823
|
subscribed!
__________________
-Kevan Current Tank Info: 34g Mixed Reef Solana (2 years old). 12g jbj nanocube dx (retired at 2 years old) |
04/17/2009, 09:07 AM | #19 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
I'll have a new post up in about 5mins
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
|
04/17/2009, 09:14 AM | #20 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
YAY !
RO/DI Turned up today: So tomorrow I will be water testing the tank, then starting to make salt water to start my tank !!! The RO/DI came with a handheld TDS meter too, so I decided to do a quick experiment, I tested the TDS of our regular house water and it came out at 143TDS, I then tested the water from our rain water tanks outside, 007TDS!!! So I'll hopefully be using the tank water to run through my filter cause it should allow my filter to last a bit longer
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/17/2009, 09:15 AM | #21 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
|
04/18/2009, 03:09 AM | #22 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Ok, so I water tested the tank today, and it passed with flying colours ! (ignore the green tinge, its unfiltered rain water)
I also got to setup my RO/DI filter ! So I'll be leaving it overnight to produce my water so I can start my tank !
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
04/18/2009, 07:58 AM | #23 |
Premium Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 1,556
|
I don't recall the specs on your filter...what size prefilters are in it? (1 micron, .5 micron, etc.)
I haven't tested the TDS of the city water here but our filters look disgusting when it's time to change them and they plug pretty darn quickly. We have the Spectrapure MAXCAP 90. I have added an additional canister with a 1 micron sediment filter before the system to remove the "big" sediment particles. Since those filters are less than $10, I would rather plug them then power through the $40 0.2 micron filters. A possible upgrade for the future is to get the LOADMAXXâ„¢ Back Washable Sediment Pre-Filter and remove the 1 micron filter. However, I can buy a lot of $10 filters for the price of that unit. After the sediment filters, we have a 0.5 micron carbon block that is rated for 20,000 gallons. I still change it every 6 months though. I hope you are as happy with your system as we are with ours. Getting a RO/DI is money well spent IMO. When we win the lottery/build our dream tank, we're getting this...Spectrapure MaxCap UHE 400. What are your startup plans? How much live rock are you getting? Are you starting with any base (dead) rock? How long are you going to let the tank mature before adding any live stock? When we started the 10g, we didn't let it mature at all and only had a small piece of live rock when we started. We went through some trials but it eventually worked out and we added more rock as time went on. With the AGA92, we used 100 lbs of base rock and seeded it with 70 lbs of live rock. This added a lot of time to our startup but saved a good chunk of change. We then let the tank mature for 3 months before adding the CUC and then another 3 months before we added any fish. I think it ended up being 4, almost 5 months before we added a fish. It was a long time, I tell ya but worth it in the long run I think.
__________________
Chris Rivers Will do computer support for frags. :) Click on the Red House to see our AGA92 Corner Reef Tank Build thread. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal (Aqualight 96W Quad 50/50, AquaClear Power Filter 70 with Chaeto lit by 6500K Bulb, AquaClear Power Head 20, 50w Tronic Heater), 92 Gal All-Glass Corner (Cycling) |
04/19/2009, 07:21 AM | #24 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 745
|
Glad to see you're making progress on your build. How much water did your rodi unit make for you overnite? Is it going to be enough to fill that tank?
__________________
A small fish in a big aquarium |
04/20/2009, 08:53 PM | #25 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Posts: 873
|
Quote:
Quality housings. Certified Australian Standard AS 3497 Stainless Steel wall bracket 1 Micron food grade polyspun sediment filter 9 ¾" (248mm) (standard size), NSF standard 42 Matrikx CTO/2 or 10/2 high quality carbon filter cartridge 9 ¾" (248mm), NSF standard 42 Dow Filmtec TFC Membrane ( standard by which all other membranes are measured) NSF standard 58 Omnipure K5555 DI cartridge (mixed bed resin) 580 grains (9,900 ppm tds) Standard type flow restrictor, Installation choice, 3/4"washing machine tap adapter or Aerator diverter. Genuine 230 psi food grade John Guest tubing (4.5 metres), NSF certified. Genuine Jaco (USA) tube fittings, NSF certified. I'm very happy with it so far, its producing 0TDS water, and it produces it pretty quickly As for the tank, I've got about 1Kg (2.2lbs) of base rock, and I'll be ordering about 6/7Kg (13lbs) of really really good quality live rock. I'll also be using live sand. I'll let the tank mature for as long as it takes to get through the cycle, then I'll add my CUC, then I'll buy my first fish and put it in QT, then after the fish has been there 3/4 weeks I'll transfer it over. So I'm looking at about 6/8 weeks before any fish are added
__________________
- Mitchell ^ Click on my username and 'Visit OwNeD162's Home Page!" to view my Australian nano reef build! (CH) - Clubhouse Represent! Current Tank Info: 2 x 1 x 1ft + EcoSystem Pro 40 HOB + 1 x 150W DE MH, 2 x 24W Actinic, Hailea HC- 150A 1/10 HP Chiller, Vortech MP20 |
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|