Himbo's Dragon Fantasy IM 40L AIO

[trophyhimbo]

Hello all

Saltwater first timer here, hoping to learn from this community and to one day earn calling myself a reefer! I work in biotech and would LOVE to get down and dirty with the biology of this system and its eventual inhabitants.

I have a bad habit of falling in love with any and all animals and organisms during research, so in an effort to narrow down my scope I decided to theme this tank from one of my other hobbies: science fiction/fantasy nerd stuff! Keeping things lighthearted and fun for now.

Starting equipment:

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (2x 100W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: Aqua Illumination Hydra 32HD LED
• ATO: Tunze 3155 Osmolator and a 5 gallon bucket
• Substrate: ~30-35lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Reef Sand (Fiji Pink) and ~30-35lbs of Marco Rock
• RODI Filter: Bulk Reef Supply 5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System
• Management App: Aquarimate
• "Controller": Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip, 6-Outlets

Feedback on aquascape would be appreciated! I quite enjoyed this part and went with a "portal to another world" kind of vibe while trying to create many arches and caves. Tank was set up before leaving on vacation with some fish food from a previous freshwater tank. No appreciable levels of nitrite or nitrate present yet and have ordered some Dr. Tim's with ammonium chloride to maybe speed things along. Light has not been set up yet and I am planning on waiting a few months before turning it on.

Fish Wish List - Advice is VERY welcome!! I picked these based on name, preliminary care requirements, suggested experience level, and niceness. I hope they have a good home together.

• 1x Helfrichi Firefish (because dragons breathe fire?)
• 1x Black Cardinalfish (looks like ominous smoke and shadow!! ok maybe a stretch but they're cute)
• 1x Brunneus Lubbock Red Velvet Crescent Tail Lunate Fairy Wrasse (fae fun!)
• 1x Flame Angelfish (more fire!)
• 1x Mandarin Dragonet (obviously)
• 1x Flame Hawkfish (is everything fire?)

Coral Wish List - I am apparently just a sucker for marketing, so was just picking things by name, theming, and softies/LPS... Would love suggestions! I need to do more research on flow, but right now I just have the stock straight two-outputs. I was thinking of changing with flexible outputs to better get behind the rocks.

I have a few direct questions for now:

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process?
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later?
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent?
4. What salt mixture do you recommend?
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient?
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration.
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup?
8. What should my stocking order be?
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them?

Thank you for your time, hope to chat soon!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello all

Saltwater first timer here, hoping to learn from this community and to one day earn calling myself a reefer! I work in biotech and would LOVE to get down and dirty with the biology of this system and its eventual inhabitants.

I have a bad habit of falling in love with any and all animals and organisms during research, so in an effort to narrow down my scope I decided to theme this tank from one of my other hobbies: science fiction/fantasy nerd stuff! Keeping things lighthearted and fun for now.

Starting equipment:

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (2x 100W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: Aqua Illumination Hydra 32HD LED
• ATO: Tunze 3155 Osmolator and a 5 gallon bucket
• Substrate: ~30-35lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Reef Sand (Fiji Pink) and ~30-35lbs of Marco Rock
• RODI Filter: Bulk Reef Supply 5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System
• Management App: Aquarimate

Feedback on aquascape would be appreciated! I quite enjoyed this part and went with a "portal to another world" kind of vibe while trying to create many arches and caves. Tank was set up before leaving on vacation with some fish food from a previous freshwater tank. No appreciable levels of nitrite or nitrate present yet and have ordered some Dr. Tim's with ammonium chloride to maybe speed things along. Light has not been set up yet and I am planning on waiting a few months before turning it on.

Fish Wish List - Advice is VERY welcome!! I picked these based on name, preliminary care requirements, suggested experience level, and niceness. I hope they have a good home together.

• 1x Mandarin Dragonet (obviously)
• 1x Helfrichi Firefish (because dragons breathe fire?)
• 1x Brunneus Fairy Wrasse (fae fun!)
• 1x Flameback Angelfish (more fire!)
• 1x Flame Hawkfish (is everything fire?)

Coral Wish List - I am apparently just a sucker for marketing, so was just picking things by name, theming, and softies/LPS... Would love suggestions! I need to do more research on flow, but right now I just have the stock straight two-outputs. I was thinking of changing with flexible outputs to better get behind the rocks.

• Zoanthus: Goblins on Fire (hilarious), Flaming Dragon, Pixie Dust, Has Fox Fairy Tales, Illuminatis
• Mushroom: Flamethrower Yuna Mushroom
• Clavularia: Flame Tipped Clove
• Micromussa: Raging Unicorn Aussie (whoever named this should get a promotion), Eternal Phoenix Lord
• Favia: Snow Dragon, Angel Eye, Pyrokinesis
• Euphyllia: Dragon Soul Torch
• Goniastrea: Spyro (what a throwback), Dragon Soul Prism, Spitfire

I have a few direct questions for now:

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process?
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later?
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent?
4. What salt mixture do you recommend?
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient?
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration.
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup?
8. What should my stocking order be?
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them?

Thank you for your time, hope to chat soon!

Scape looks great !!

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process? No - Proceed
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later? Pull the GFO at minimum
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent? You will get algae guaranteed. Place a sheet of black construction paper on side of tank that faces window. Will minimize algae potential.
4. What salt mixture do you recommend? Instant ocean is adequate. If you plan on coral, Red sea pro, or reef crystals
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient? Once film algae starts, you can add copepods
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration. Biological is best but Refugium will keep nitrates in check
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup? Ice Cap K1-50 (see CoralVue.com)
8. What should my stocking order be? Skip the flame hawk (which eats shrimps)
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them? Banggai Cardinal

 

[trophyhimbo]

Scape looks great !!

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process? No - Proceed
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later? Pull the GFO at minimum
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent? You will get algae guaranteed. Place a sheet of black construction paper on side of tank that faces window. Will minimize algae potential.
4. What salt mixture do you recommend? Instant ocean is adequate. If you plan on coral, Red sea pro, or reef crystals
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient? Once film algae starts, you can add copepods
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration. Biological is best but Refugium will keep nitrates in check
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup? Ice Cap K1-50 (see CoralVue.com)
8. What should my stocking order be? Skip the flame hawk (which eats shrimps)
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them? Banggai Cardinal

Wow thank you so much, all your advice is incredibly helpful!

I will take out the media pack now and install new ones once the initial cycle has completed. Will definitely look into that cardinal and others like it, I’ll keep you posted!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hello all

Saltwater first timer here, hoping to learn from this community and to one day earn calling myself a reefer! I work in biotech and would LOVE to get down and dirty with the biology of this system and its eventual inhabitants.

I have a bad habit of falling in love with any and all animals and organisms during research, so in an effort to narrow down my scope I decided to theme this tank from one of my other hobbies: science fiction/fantasy nerd stuff! Keeping things lighthearted and fun for now.

Starting equipment:

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (2x 100W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: Aqua Illumination Hydra 32HD LED
• ATO: Tunze 3155 Osmolator and a 5 gallon bucket
• Substrate: ~30-35lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Reef Sand (Fiji Pink) and ~30-35lbs of Marco Rock
• RODI Filter: Bulk Reef Supply 5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System
• Management App: Aquarimate

Feedback on aquascape would be appreciated! I quite enjoyed this part and went with a "portal to another world" kind of vibe while trying to create many arches and caves. Tank was set up before leaving on vacation with some fish food from a previous freshwater tank. No appreciable levels of nitrite or nitrate present yet and have ordered some Dr. Tim's with ammonium chloride to maybe speed things along. Light has not been set up yet and I am planning on waiting a few months before turning it on.

Fish Wish List - Advice is VERY welcome!! I picked these based on name, preliminary care requirements, suggested experience level, and niceness. I hope they have a good home together.

• 1x Mandarin Dragonet (obviously)
• 1x Helfrichi Firefish (because dragons breathe fire?)
• 1x Brunneus Fairy Wrasse (fae fun!)
• 1x Flameback Angelfish (more fire!)
• 1x Flame Hawkfish (is everything fire?)

Coral Wish List - I am apparently just a sucker for marketing, so was just picking things by name, theming, and softies/LPS... Would love suggestions! I need to do more research on flow, but right now I just have the stock straight two-outputs. I was thinking of changing with flexible outputs to better get behind the rocks.

• Zoanthus: Goblins on Fire (hilarious), Flaming Dragon, Pixie Dust, Has Fox Fairy Tales, Illuminatis
• Mushroom: Flamethrower Yuna Mushroom
• Clavularia: Flame Tipped Clove
• Micromussa: Raging Unicorn Aussie (whoever named this should get a promotion), Eternal Phoenix Lord
• Favia: Snow Dragon, Angel Eye, Pyrokinesis
• Euphyllia: Dragon Soul Torch
• Goniastrea: Spyro (what a throwback), Dragon Soul Prism, Spitfire

I have a few direct questions for now:

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process?
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later?
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent?
4. What salt mixture do you recommend?
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient?
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration.
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup?
8. What should my stocking order be?
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them?

Thank you for your time, hope to chat soon!

Love the Idea and theme for the tank!! Also, aquas cape looks really nice too

 

[trophyhimbo]

Love the Idea and theme for the tank!! Also, aquas cape looks really nice too

Theme born out of sheer necessity and an overwhelming number of options haha

Thank you!! My LFS had a variety of sorted marco rock sizes/types to mix and match, complete with a little designing area for live feedback before purchasing. Can’t wait to see if the inhabitants like it

 

[tbrown]

Hello all

Saltwater first timer here, hoping to learn from this community and to one day earn calling myself a reefer! I work in biotech and would LOVE to get down and dirty with the biology of this system and its eventual inhabitants.

I have a bad habit of falling in love with any and all animals and organisms during research, so in an effort to narrow down my scope I decided to theme this tank from one of my other hobbies: science fiction/fantasy nerd stuff! Keeping things lighthearted and fun for now.

Starting equipment:

• Aquarium: Innovative Marine Fusion Pro 2, 40L AIO
• Heater: Helio 200W (2x 100W) PTC Heating System
• Lights: Aqua Illumination Hydra 32HD LED
• ATO: Tunze 3155 Osmolator and a 5 gallon bucket
• Substrate: ~30-35lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Live Reef Sand (Fiji Pink) and ~30-35lbs of Marco Rock
• RODI Filter: Bulk Reef Supply 5 Stage Premium Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System
• Management App: Aquarimate

Feedback on aquascape would be appreciated! I quite enjoyed this part and went with a "portal to another world" kind of vibe while trying to create many arches and caves. Tank was set up before leaving on vacation with some fish food from a previous freshwater tank. No appreciable levels of nitrite or nitrate present yet and have ordered some Dr. Tim's with ammonium chloride to maybe speed things along. Light has not been set up yet and I am planning on waiting a few months before turning it on.

Fish Wish List - Advice is VERY welcome!! I picked these based on name, preliminary care requirements, suggested experience level, and niceness. I hope they have a good home together.

• 1x Mandarin Dragonet (obviously)
• 1x Helfrichi Firefish (because dragons breathe fire?)
• 1x Brunneus Fairy Wrasse (fae fun!)
• 1x Flameback Angelfish (more fire!)
• 1x Flame Hawkfish (is everything fire?)

Coral Wish List - I am apparently just a sucker for marketing, so was just picking things by name, theming, and softies/LPS... Would love suggestions! I need to do more research on flow, but right now I just have the stock straight two-outputs. I was thinking of changing with flexible outputs to better get behind the rocks.

• Zoanthus: Goblins on Fire (hilarious), Flaming Dragon, Pixie Dust, Has Fox Fairy Tales, Illuminatis
• Mushroom: Flamethrower Yuna Mushroom
• Clavularia: Flame Tipped Clove
• Micromussa: Raging Unicorn Aussie (whoever named this should get a promotion), Eternal Phoenix Lord
• Favia: Snow Dragon, Angel Eye, Pyrokinesis
• Euphyllia: Dragon Soul Torch
• Goniastrea: Spyro (what a throwback), Dragon Soul Prism, Spitfire

I have a few direct questions for now:

1. Will introducing Dr. Tim's cycling kit after the tank's been running for about a week and a half ruin the saltwater cycling process?
2. I accidentally left the carbon pack, mechanical fiber ball, granular phosphate remover, and the filter sock in while starting... should I remove these now and replace later?
3. The aquarium location gets about an hour of direct sunlight in the summer late afternoon. Will this cause any problems I can prevent?
4. What salt mixture do you recommend?
5. Should I introduce copepods directly after cycling while introducing my first fish to prepare for the dragonet? I assume they feed on algae and detritus, but perhaps that is insufficient?
6. Would a small refugium in one of the back chambers do anything significant? I would say it would not even total 5% of the volume of water, but I love the idea of more biological filtration.
7. Are there protein skimmer recommendations for this AIO setup?
8. What should my stocking order be?
9. Any fish ideas to go along with the current list or to replace some of them?

Thank you for your time, hope to chat soon!

As @vetteguy53081 mentioned, the sunlight can and will cause algae. The sheet of construction paper works but if you have access you can also use black or blue craft paint. Really any color works, you just want to make sure it blocks the sunlight from the tank.

Also, the scape looks great! Different for different light requirements on the corals.

Good luck!

 

[trophyhimbo]

As @vetteguy53081 mentioned, the sunlight can and will cause algae. The sheet of construction paper works but if you have access you can also use black or blue craft paint. Really any color works, you just want to make sure it blocks the sunlight from the tank.

Also, the scape looks great! Different for different light requirements on the corals.

Good luck!

That makes sense thank you! The tank is actually quite far from the window (center of the building), it’s residual sunlight at very specific times of one season due to the angles but better safe than sorry.

I was thinking a hang on refugium with a black backing and macroalgae on that side would serve the dual purpose of preventing light from entering the display tank and also be a good haven for copepods? Would the tank be unbalanced and tip over or something?

 

[tbrown]

I was thinking a hang on refugium with a black backing and macroalgae on that side would serve the dual purpose of preventing light from entering the display tank and also be a good haven for copepods? Would the tank be unbalanced and tip over or something?

That's would all depend on the size of the refugium and how much weight it adds, but chances are, unless it's a very large refugium or a very tall, skinny tank it won't be overly top heavy. Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon and the tank I self will be pushing straight down, not much backward force.

 

[trophyhimbo]

Initial cycle is done and first organism has been introduced!

Stocking: Picked up some Dragon's Breath macroalgae (Halymenia floresii I think?), which I loosely draped around some rocks close to the light and propeller head. They are SO pretty, I hope they do not run out of nutrients until my first animals get in... Firefish will be arriving sometime next week and will be seeding the tank with copepods in a day or two.

Lighting: Based on this forum's recommendations, I have ordered a 2nd AI Hydra 32HD light. My current light is offset and is only illuminating the right side of my tank to provide for the Dragon's Breath. Light has been set to the Mobius/AI Saxby Signature preset. I'm expecting to run into algae problems even with the copepods and this competing algae, but I'm excited to eventually pick out a cleaning crew! (Honestly hoping for a little bit of algae to start building the copepod population now that the light is on haha)

Movement: Picked up an Ecotech MP10 Propeller pump as well. This is set to a Low "Reef Crest" mode.

Parameters after a 30% water change post-cycle: (Testing kits have gotten me on a nostalgia trip to my bench days...)

• Ammonia: 0.00ppm
• Nitrite: 0ppm
• Nitrate: 8ppm
• Phosphate: 0ppm
• Calcium: 464ppm
• Alkalinity: 6.6dKH
• Salinity: 1.027dSG
• pH: 8

Cycle notes for any interested:

• Had some fish food decaying in a suspended net while I was away for about 1.5 weeks (Day 0). Seeded with Dr. Tim's bacteria post-vacation (Day 12).
• After seeding with Dr. Tim's bacteria and adding the initial ammonia dose (140 drops for ~30-35 gallons), no further ammonia was added to the tank.
• Caribsea live sand is substrate and I have about 30 pounds of dry rock. Filter sock, carbon, filter balls, and GFO were all removed from the system. Sock was put back in last night.
• Unknown exactly what date cycle was completed and ammonia hit 0ppm because I was out of town for a few days towards the end. However, a low level of nitrates were already present on Day 13 (one day after adding Dr. Tim's and ammonia).
• Before 30% water change, nitrates were at 11.7ppm.
• All in all, waited about 27 days before checking to make sure ammonia was at 0ppm. Probably cycled MUCH faster than that but due to life, vacation, work, and family I never really cared to check on the day-to-day progress so time flew by, which also gave me enough time to solidify my stocking plan.

Outstanding questions:

• How can you tell if something is receiving "low", "medium", or "high" flow? From what I can tell, it is a bit subjective and something I may learn with experience.
• Should I be worried about the macroalgae for a few days to a week before my first fish comes in? Phosphates are non-existent and nitrates are relatively low
• Any recommendations for a PAR meter?
• Now that I am introducing organisms to the tank, what is the recommended cadence for testing parameters? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?

Hope everyone's well!

 

[tbrown]

Good luck! Hopefully the Macros aren't too soon. I had some Dragon's Breath and even with what I thought was a significant bioload it melted away.

Adding organisms to the tank means you'll want to step up your parameter tests some, but it's more for corals typically. You don't want temperature or pH swings throughout the day which would be bad for the fish, you don't want ammonia or nitrites spiking throughout the day which would be bad for the fish, but on a fish only tank you're not going to have to worry about testing frequently unless you notice a problem.

However, once you start adding corals (before actually) you want to make sure the tank is stable in the pH, temp, alkalinity and you'll want to increase testing frequency at that point. Calcium and magnesium are also important. Nitrates and phosphates are food for corals so you're going to want to have an understanding of how much your tank produces and how much export there is - that will help determine what/if you need to dose once.you add corals. After adding corals you're going to want to watch how much their consuming so you get an understanding of what you need to be adding through water changes or dosing.

Lots of info, sorry...

 

[tbrown]

As far as flow goes, the corals are usually pretty good at telling you if they're getting the proper lighting and flow.

PAR meters can often be rented from a LFS. If not, I believe BRS offers a return policy (which is basically saying purchase the PAR meter, return it for a restocking fee - renting it more or less). There is an app (Photone) that can be helpful but it isn't guaranteed to be accurate. You'll want to have a couple of known PAR points to calibrate it and still it will only really provide a ball park

 

[trophyhimbo]

Good luck! Hopefully the Macros aren't too soon. I had some Dragon's Breath and even with what I thought was a significant bioload it melted away.

Adding organisms to the tank means you'll want to step up your parameter tests some, but it's more for corals typically. You don't want temperature or pH swings throughout the day which would be bad for the fish, you don't want ammonia or nitrites spiking throughout the day which would be bad for the fish, but on a fish only tank you're not going to have to worry about testing frequently unless you notice a problem.

However, once you start adding corals (before actually) you want to make sure the tank is stable in the pH, temp, alkalinity and you'll want to increase testing frequency at that point. Calcium and magnesium are also important. Nitrates and phosphates are food for corals so you're going to want to have an understanding of how much your tank produces and how much export there is - that will help determine what/if you need to dose once.you add corals. After adding corals you're going to want to watch how much their consuming so you get an understanding of what you need to be adding through water changes or dosing.

Lots of info, sorry...

All the information is very much appreciated, thank you!

Introduced some copepods today and lights are on with first fish expected in about a week. Hoping the leftover nutrients from cycling and the copepod container will be enough to sustain until things mature a bit. Also hoping the lights will grow whatever microalgae the copepods may need to establish... Maybe too much to hope for... haha Fortunate enough that I can access more Dragon's Breath if this fails, but it'll be a fun little trial. Probably just find out I did things a little backwards!

I am just missing a magnesium tester, but loving these Hanna products so far. I need to do some more research on corals specifically before introducing them, been too focused on fish stock haha I intend to figure out my nutrient production/export rates for corals once the fish start to go in

Downloaded Photone, but I was under the impression I would need to measure PAR sections actually in the water... Am I supposed to dunk my phone in a zip lock bag or something? Or is just measuring from the surface sufficient?

 

[tbrown]

All the information is very much appreciated, thank you!

Introduced some copepods today and lights are on with first fish expected in about a week. Hoping the leftover nutrients from cycling and the copepod container will be enough to sustain until things mature a bit. Also hoping the lights will grow whatever microalgae the copepods may need to establish... Maybe too much to hope for... haha Fortunate enough that I can access more Dragon's Breath if this fails, but it'll be a fun little trial. Probably just find out I did things a little backwards!

I am just missing a magnesium tester, but loving these Hanna products so far. I need to do some more research on corals specifically before introducing them, been too focused on fish stock haha I intend to figure out my nutrient production/export rates for corals once the fish start to go in

Downloaded Photone, but I was under the impression I would need to measure PAR sections actually in the water... Am I supposed to dunk my phone in a zip lock bag or something? Or is just measuring from the surface sufficient?

Ziploc, yes. Make sure it's waterproof first because some aren't.

 

[trophyhimbo]

A few recent highlights:

• First fishy inhabitant that was supposed to arrive tomorrow is delayed . While getting Mr./Ms. Firefish ready for shipping, it jumped and hit the floor... so will be staying at Dr. Reef's for observation. I have been informed that if it doesn't improve in the next 3-6 days, they will ship me from the next batch that is coming out of QT. Hopefully it'll pull through and be safe and healthy!
• Second Hydra 32HD and second MP10 have been installed. This is the end of any significant equipment changes for the foreseeable future! Had an issue with the wet side of the new MP10, but will be getting a free replacement. In the meantime, I am using one of my wet side back-ups. I have noticed even at just 30% Reef Crest mode, I can achieve varied flow all around my rock structures!
• No clue where the copepods went. Hopefully they're scurrying around and adjusting their population to the low nutrients accordingly.
• Dragon's Breath macroalgae seems... fine? The original orange tips have become translucent and loose, but it seems to be growing more orange tips from the stalk/stem/main part(?), which are very brightly colored. Keeping the pieces locked down in one spot with the two chaotic propeller heads is a challenge, but I am assuming free-floating is good for it as long it doesn't get sucked into anywhere.
• At a recommendation, I introduced one bottle each of ARC Reef's Helix Purple and Pink Fusion bottled coralline algae today. Logic was that since I plan to only stock with pre-quarantined fish and inverts, this may add some biodiversity, maybe compete with nuisance algae when nutrients start regularly being introduced, and could be an indicator of my water husbandry skills for future corals.
• Used Photone to measure PAR levels around the tank. Varies around 50-250 at different spots.
• Made saltwater for the first time! Used the pro tip of throwing a small fountain pump into the mixing bucket, which made things super easy. Decided on Red Sea Salt (Blue Bucket).
• I discovered what an accidental "ATO siphon" is while playing around with the return pump and ATO line placement. Siphoned out about 3 gallons straight into the ATO reservoir before I figured out what was going on... Guess that was one way to be forced to do a partial water change haha

Tank lit at sunset while tank lights were winding down:

Fishy your home is eagerly awaiting you!

 

[trophyhimbo]

We’ve got diatoms!! Excited to see this thing actually capable of supporting any life at all haha Won’t concern myself with this, as I’ve been advised this is just the next step in the new tank progression and will eventually resolve itself.

Now to figure out how to take pictures without the excessive blue… any tips or tricks on an Android phone?

 

[afrokobe]

love the scape. try shooting in pro mode depending on what kind of phone you have and see if you can adjust the white balance

 

[tbrown]

What @afrokobe said. If you can put your camera in Manual mode instead of Automatic, set the white balance as close to 10,000k as possible.

 

[trophyhimbo]

Hellooo first fishy!

Turned off lights, acclimated according to Dr. Reef's instructions from 1.020 to 1.026 salinity, and it seems to be doing great. Lights will stay off until tomorrow, but for now fish has been hanging out on the left side of the tank, mostly swimming in the water column outside the leftmost rocks. He/She frames themselves perfectly while swimming in and out of the bottom cave. Very cute.

Apparently my phone's too old and isn't able to set white balance In the meantime, turning all the tank lights off in the middle of the day, turning on ambient room lights, or turning the white lights up enables better shots. I'll be taking your advices when I finally decide to upgrade or break out a DSLR.

Tank will probably get a shrimp and a tiny clean up crew in a couple weeks, but there won't be any more fishy additions for about 2 months. Have a vacation at the end of May, so I am cautious about not being able to observe any new additions. Next up: cardinalfish and fairy wrasse!

Any name suggestions? My family and in-laws are all chiming in and latest they've come up with is "Purple Rain"

 

[trophyhimbo]

Added a light crew of snails this morning! I am fearful there's not enough algae for them to eat... Nitrates have been at a steady 8ppm since the initial cycle ended. Both Hydra 32s have been on without an acclimation period for about 3 weeks (Saxby light setting). I am seeing what I believe are a relatively light amount of diatoms, a few long thin strings, and green algae growth (compared to other new tank pics), but that's about it so far. Maybe this is just because I only regularly started feeding the tank a week ago when I introduced the fish?

The copepod population is DEFINITELY growing now and can be seen running around everywhere on the glass, backdrop, and in the water column. Unsure which specific species are thriving in the new tank, but it was seeded with these Algae Barn Galaxy Pods 3 weeks ago (thanks for the free upgrade Algae Barn!). Perhaps they are helping control some algae growth?

Snails - got a small variety, will see which ones thrive in this system

• 2x Dwarf Trochus - placed these on rockwork and they're milling about doing snail things.
• 2x Ninja Star Snail - these guys are super cool looking! I can see them feeling around with their fleshy bits (foot? feets?) but they haven't moved much yet on the rocks
• 2x Marginella Snail - SO pretty, but they immediately burrowed themselves into the sand substrate. Unknown if I will ever see them again...
• 2x Dwarf Cerith - seller actually sent me 3! Heard these guys are an aquarium staple so just placed them randomly around the tank. They seem pretty active

Fish

• Helfrichi (Lavender Blushed) Firefish - This guy is SO active and beautiful! Granted it's the only fish present at the moment and probably feels zero threats, so we'll see if he/she stays this way. Luckily picked out a cave with a small entrance in the front rockwork and spends about 10 hours each day swimming up front and center looking for food or in the current. Seems to have established a sleep schedule too. I have seen him go after the copepods on the glass, but it also has a voracious appetite for these Hikari frozen mysis shrimp and Piscine Energetics pellets. Incredibly happy with this purchase from Dr. Reef.
  • Observations: Realized my return pump was set to max when it was first introduced, and he started coming out from its cave when I lowered that pump to minimum. When I increase my return pump flow rate, he darts back into the cave. I'm speculating it's because the return pumps send water across the top then down the front of the tank to the back. Seems to enjoy my two opposing left and right side MP10s set to 10% in alternating reef crest/lagoon and steady flow modes (WWC recs) that follow the light cycle, which provides like 30-40x tank turnover in gallons/hour. Increasing MP10 power does not seem to affect this fish's behavior.

Ordered this mountable feeder platform after seeing it on @JoJosReef build thread for the Eheim auto-feeder for when I am away. Thank you for finding and sharing Jojo! Placed in between the return pumps, the dispensed food is pushed forward to the front of the tank where the fish is before sinking. It's perfect for this setup.

Generating a coral stock list for June post-vacation! Searching for "Dragon"-named corals to keep things thematic is incredibly amusing. Any recommendations on type/species/name?

 

[scottkoji]

off to a great start. macros will need some PO4 tho so be careful with that. also wondering if the scape is mortared or glued in some way or are they just balanced on top of one another? if they're just balanced i would highly suggest something more permanent.