I will preface this build thread by saying that I have been in the reef keeping hobby for just over a year now, but I've been keeping freshwater planted tanks for many years before. This will be my second reef build. Hopefully things go smoother with the knowledge I've gained so far.
Tank specs:
•23.6W x 17.7D x 15.8H in (60x45x40cm)
•8mm glass thickness, low iron
•Includes their BIOSMO 700 Pump (185gph) with sine wave controller. I have it currently set on max flow, wave mode. We'll see if we need to upgrade that later.
03/23/24:
Cabinet assembled and tank set up. Leak tested inside (oops) and no issues after 24 hours. My wife loves her phalaenopsis orchids in the reflection.
03/26/24:
Completed the aquascape with dry base rocks that I broke using a hammer to give character. At this point I thought I was going to do a bare bottom tank. I added approximately 2lb of live rubble and a filter pad from my other nano tank to the rear compartment of this tank to help seed beneficial bacteria.
03/29/24:
I changed my mind and decided I wanted sand dwellers so I added a 20lb bag of CaribSea AragAlive Special Grade. I probably didn't need the AragAlive version, but I got a good deal on it. I put a piece of filter pad on the intake of an extra water pump to help clear the particulates out of the water after adding sand. It cleared up in 12-18 hours.
For giggles, I threw on one of my wife's extra 24" indoor plant grow light with W,B,R channels using only Blue (450nm) to see how it would look. Not bad for a cheap home depot 19w light.
04/25/24:
I added a Pajama Cardinal as my first fish about a week ago after doing my first big water change.
04/26/24:
I added a Nero 3 for flow. Does anyone have any recommended settings for intensity/pattern for a 24" tank? My plans for this tank will be mixed LPS and SPS later when it matures. I figure I'll set myself up with a good wavemaker now, rather than later. I really like the functionality and customizability on the MyAi flow app so far.
Tank specs:
•23.6W x 17.7D x 15.8H in (60x45x40cm)
•8mm glass thickness, low iron
•Includes their BIOSMO 700 Pump (185gph) with sine wave controller. I have it currently set on max flow, wave mode. We'll see if we need to upgrade that later.
03/23/24:
Cabinet assembled and tank set up. Leak tested inside (oops) and no issues after 24 hours. My wife loves her phalaenopsis orchids in the reflection.
03/26/24:
Completed the aquascape with dry base rocks that I broke using a hammer to give character. At this point I thought I was going to do a bare bottom tank. I added approximately 2lb of live rubble and a filter pad from my other nano tank to the rear compartment of this tank to help seed beneficial bacteria.
03/29/24:
I changed my mind and decided I wanted sand dwellers so I added a 20lb bag of CaribSea AragAlive Special Grade. I probably didn't need the AragAlive version, but I got a good deal on it. I put a piece of filter pad on the intake of an extra water pump to help clear the particulates out of the water after adding sand. It cleared up in 12-18 hours.
For giggles, I threw on one of my wife's extra 24" indoor plant grow light with W,B,R channels using only Blue (450nm) to see how it would look. Not bad for a cheap home depot 19w light.
04/25/24:
I added a Pajama Cardinal as my first fish about a week ago after doing my first big water change.
04/26/24:
I added a Nero 3 for flow. Does anyone have any recommended settings for intensity/pattern for a 24" tank? My plans for this tank will be mixed LPS and SPS later when it matures. I figure I'll set myself up with a good wavemaker now, rather than later. I really like the functionality and customizability on the MyAi flow app so far.
