Aquatop Recife 24g AIO Journey

[Alexwlwsn]

Greetings!

This is my first saltwater tank experience and I am very excited to be learning new things throughout the whole setup process. I come from the freshwater world so some things are the same, some things are different. Currently, in my "fish room" aka the home office, I have a 55-gallon fresh community tank, a 5-gallon betta tank, and now my new Recife Eco 24.

I picked up the tank second-hand on Facebook Marketplace and got a good deal. The tank came with all the stock filtration pieces - sponge, protein skimmer, media baskets, return pump, as well as a heater. For lighting and current, the previous owner had an Orbit Marine LED light and 660GPH wavemaker all hooked up to their nice Bluetooth controller. As I am a little addicted to shopping, and eventually would like to add some corals to the tank, I upgraded the LED to Orbit Marine's new R24 light. It claims 100 PAR at 20" of depth. As my tank is about 17" deep, I expect to have decent luck light-wise for most corals so long as I place them appropriately throughout my tank and rock structure. I am presently quite happy with how the LOOP Marine mobile app works to control the light and wave pump. I've had no connection issues with the app in the last month of owning the tank as some users report.

List of tank contents:

• Recife Eco 24 - Tank
• Orbit R24 - Light
• Wave Pump - Pump
• Loop Marine Bluetooth Controller - Controller
• Auto Top Off - ATO
• 20lbs Dry Rock - Rock
• Fiji Pink Sand - Sand
• RO Buddy - RO/DI
• Instant Ocean Salt - Salt

I have ditched the media trays in trade for a large mesh bag. The trays kept collecting air bubbles which would in turn slow down my filtration. This would cause my return chamber to lower and the ATO to (almost) overfill the tank. Ever since switching to the bag, we've had no issues with air bubbles in the media trays.

The stock protein skimmer also apparently leaves a lot to be desired. It's not really collecting anything or bubbling much, so in time I might be upgrading that to a better and more proven skimmer.

I'm doing my best to follow The Lasse Method for aquarium cycling. I, as well as basically any other aquarium enthusiast, have always liked clownfish so I got a pair about a week after setting up the whole tank. I've been dosing with FritzZyme 9 in an attempt to get my ammonia converted to nitrate as quickly as possible, The clowns have been in the tank for 5 days now and I'm already seeing nitrates which is lovely. There is ammonia present, but it has stayed low throughout my tests.

After the tank has been running for a while, I plan to add a well-rounded CUC. CUC goals include: Emerald Crab, blood red fire shrimp, various snails, potentially some hermit crabs. I am just starting to see some diatoms on my sand and rocks, so I expect they may come into play before long.

Full tank shot:

The auto top off device I have listed above was pretty inexpensive but I am very happy with it. It utilizes two small floats, one which will trigger the pump on and off, and the other is apparently an emergency shut off. As it's hard to trust anything 100% that might fill my basement with water, I keep it on a smart switch and keep it timed to only be on in the daytime when I'm around/awake.

"Organized" cabinet section with 3 gallon ATO reservoir:

ATO float

I'll do my best to keep this thread up to date with any updates I make! In the meanwhile, feel free to comment and tell me what I'm doing wrong, right, or otherwise.

 

[lapin]

Nice

 

[Alexwlwsn]

I've been searching a decent amount about wavemaker placement and haven't had too much luck as I guess there really is no set answer as to what to do here. I know we want current in the tank, and I know that some corals need either high or low current but as of now, I'm struggling with where to point my wavemaker to get the best possible results. Granted, I only have 2 fish but I'd like them to be happy and I'd like my current/flow to be logical!

Currently, I have my return pump pointed up and slightly towards the center of the tank. This seems to give the surface of the tank a nice ripple and keeps the tank somewhat spinning in a clockwise direction. My wavemaker is on the same side as the return pump, in an attempt (I guess) to push detritus towards my overflow.

I have the wave pump running 6 seconds on, 6 seconds off at 100% flow (660gph).

My question is if we think the wavemaker should be in the front of the tank, making more of that clockwise flow, or if it should be towards the back and somewhat flowing the opposite way to add a little weirdness to the currents within the tank. Or, does it even matter? Would it be beneficial to point it downwards a bit to try and stir up the sand a little as well?

Current placement, pointed at the rear end of my rock structure.

 

[minorhero]

Hello! I am in a similar place as you but a bit farther behind (waiting on my tank to be made but a background in freshwater). My understanding is if you want corals you want a fairly chaotic flow which helps the corals to regulate themselves. Meaning a flow that swirls in the same direction all the time is bad. If you don't want corals then the only reason to even have the wave maker in the tank at all is to kick up debris and get it into the filter. Meaning you may or may not need the wave maker at all and it doesn't matter what direction it is pointing so long as debris is removed.

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Hello! I am in a similar place as you but a bit farther behind (waiting on my tank to be made but a background in freshwater). My understanding is if you want corals you want a fairly chaotic flow which helps the corals to regulate themselves. Meaning a flow that swirls in the same direction all the time is bad. If you don't want corals then the only reason to even have the wave maker in the tank at all is to kick up debris and get it into the filter. Meaning you may or may not need the wave maker at all and it doesn't matter what direction it is pointing so long as debris is removed.

I definitely want some easier corals in time once the tank is further along in its cycle. With this chaotic flow topic, I guess I could place the wavemaker in the front left in order to oppose the flow of the return pump. That would basically cause a little CW/CCW motion in the water.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Looking good, following along!

 

[Alexwlwsn]

I was having a heck of a time getting the stock protein skimmer to do anything at all so I went ahead and ordered a Fluval PS2. The reviews on it seem to be very hot and cold, but a lot of issues seem to come from people not knowing how to tune it correctly. Found this video and I'll give it a go tomorrow when it's delivered!




I know this is a relatively inexpensive skimmer with pretty polarizing reviews, but I'd really like for it to fit in the stock skimmer location. The section for the original skimmer is a tiny 3"x3" square which seriously limits my options for hardware in that area.

I figure any skimmer is better than no skimmer so why not. Also, for some reason, having an entirely empty chamber with nothing in it just bothers me!

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Got the Fluval PS2 skimmer installed! I will say, it "fits" but I had to trim the bottom two mounting tabs with my dremel. Hopefully the thing doesn't break on me in the next few weeks because I definitely voided whatever warranty it had by doing that! The skimmer seems to fit the 3"x3" square juuuust perfectly once those tabs were removed. I left the top two tabs and the skimmer actually just sits on the remaining tabs now in my filtration area at what seems to be the right height. Win!

If only the makers of this tank added 0.25" in depth to the filtration chambers, this tank would accept SO many more accessories.

Anyway, I used the above youtube video to tune the skimmer to where I believe it's working. I'm getting nice bubbles into the collection chamber but not ALL the way up as I don't just want to fill my collection cup nonstop with clean water.

People who tune them correctly report that they see skimate within 24-48hrs so I will update as time passes.

I will say that there are dramatically fewer microbubbles floating about my tank so that's a good thing!

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Got the Fluval PS2 skimmer installed! I will say, it "fits" but I had to trim the bottom two mounting tabs with my dremel. Hopefully the thing doesn't break on me in the next few weeks because I definitely voided whatever warranty it had by doing that! The skimmer seems to fit the 3"x3" square juuuust perfectly once those tabs were removed. I left the top two tabs and the skimmer actually just sits on the remaining tabs now in my filtration area at what seems to be the right height. Win!

If only the makers of this tank added 0.25" in depth to the filtration chambers, this tank would accept SO many more accessories.

Anyway, I used the above youtube video to tune the skimmer to where I believe it's working. I'm getting nice bubbles into the collection chamber but not ALL the way up as I don't just want to fill my collection cup nonstop with clean water.

People who tune them correctly report that they see skimate within 24-48hrs so I will update as time passes.

I will say that there are dramatically fewer microbubbles floating about my tank so that's a good thing!

Looking good! trimming skimmers seems to be a common thing people have to do.. unfortunate that standard sizes aren't a thing.

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Looking good! trimming skimmers seems to be a common thing people have to do.. unfortunate that standard sizes aren't a thing.

Agreed! If this skimmer doesn't work out I'm almost lost on what to do. My biomedia and light mount live in the large center compartment so I really hate to repurpose that area for a skimmer. The only other protein skimmer I have found that might work is the icecap nano, although it might need to be inserted at a strange angle just to fit. It's also twice the price of the Fluval so trimming that will likely hurt twice as much!

Luckily my cousin has this model in his tank though, so I could potentially have him cut out a 3in square from cardboard and see if it fits diagonally.

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Had an interesting experience with the tank today! I had the itch for a new tank inhabitant and I was near my LFS so I figured I'd see what they had. I landed on what they call a "cleaner shrimp" which seems to be a Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. I knew I didn't want to add TOO much bioload, and he'd likely eat some scraps my fish miss, so it couldn't hurt too much. Picked one out, paid, got home... then noticed something strange on its side. Turns out that my cleaner shrimp had come with an isopod which is somewhat common... Lucky me right?

Anyway, the store had closed by the time I got home so I figured I'd attempt removal. After watching a couple of videos, I got up my confidence, grabbed my tweezers, and got it! Fingers crossed he stays healthy now. Most posts say the little bubble on their side will go away after they molt.

Here is is, pre- and post-surgery:

Pretty pleased I was able to remove it. Since I got photo evidence, if I wake up tomorrow and he's dead, I figure I can go back to the store and easily get a replacement.

In the meantime, he's happily climbing my rock structure digging for snacks!

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Had an interesting experience with the tank today! I had the itch for a new tank inhabitant and I was near my LFS so I figured I'd see what they had. I landed on what they call a "cleaner shrimp" which seems to be a Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. I knew I didn't want to add TOO much bioload, and he'd likely eat some scraps my fish miss, so it couldn't hurt too much. Picked one out, paid, got home... then noticed something strange on its side. Turns out that my cleaner shrimp had come with an isopod which is somewhat common... Lucky me right?

Anyway, the store had closed by the time I got home so I figured I'd attempt removal. After watching a couple of videos, I got up my confidence, grabbed my tweezers, and got it! Fingers crossed he stays healthy now. Most posts say the little bubble on their side will go away after they molt.

Here is is, pre- and post-surgery:

Pretty pleased I was able to remove it. Since I got photo evidence, if I wake up tomorrow and he's dead, I figure I can go back to the store and easily get a replacement.

In the meantime, he's happily climbing my rock structure digging for snacks!

Looks like you have him well taken care of!

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Small update - I was never happy with how the Fluval protein skimmer fit/worked in the tank. It really needed to be shoved into the skimmer section, and even then it leaked around the seams which just seemed wrong to me. I ended up replacing it with an Icecap K1 Neo protein skimmer and it fits! It easily fits within the 3in square stock skimmer section, mount and all.

The height adjustment on it isn't the BEST I will say, as it uses this thick rubber band to hold the skimmer body onto the mounting bracket. It's infinitely adjustable, but I feel that it will basically need readjustment every time remove the cup to empty it.

I will post back with my findings on how well it skims in the days/weeks to come. I already like how it looks better than the Fluval though so that is a plus!!

On top of that, my shrimp has been coming out to eat during feeding time and seems healthy! He (she?) actually shed his exoskeleton yesterday and it looking a little less lumpy already in the area where the parasite resided.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Looking great! When is coral coming?

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Looking great! When is coral coming?

Good question! I am not entirely sure. I'd definitely like to start with something real hardy but also don't want to add it too soon. I'll probably pick up a reef testing kit (Ca, KH, Mg), check how consistent my values are over a period of time, and then maybe get started?

I did have my first baby in December though so getting to the LFS to choose fish/corals isn't exactly the easiest task.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Good question! I am not entirely sure. I'd definitely like to start with something real hardy but also don't want to add it too soon. I'll probably pick up a reef testing kit (Ca, KH, Mg), check how consistent my values are over a period of time, and then maybe get started?

I did have my first baby in December though so getting to the LFS to choose fish/corals isn't exactly the easiest task.

Congrats on the baby!

Sounds like a solid plan for when to add coral!

 

[fishingchuck]

How are you making out with the ice cap neo skimmer. I have the same set up and was thinking of buying the aquatop upgrade but the reviews aren’t favorable. I just upgrade the return pump to a sicce 1.5. It’s rated 100 gph less than the standard pump but I swear it has 3x the flow. The I destroyed the grommet that holds the return pipe. Had to go to the hardware store and get a new one.

 

[Alexwlwsn]

How are you making out with the ice cap neo skimmer. I have the same set up and was thinking of buying the aquatop upgrade but the reviews aren’t favorable. I just upgrade the return pump to a sicce 1.5. It’s rated 100 gph less than the standard pump but I swear it has 3x the flow. The I destroyed the grommet that holds the return pipe. Had to go to the hardware store and get a new one.

It's working well so far! The skimmate it's pulling hasn't been super dank, but I think that'll get better over time. The way I have it adjusted, the normal bubbles get midway up the collection cup before popping. This might be too high though so I'll keep messing with it.

My main complaint would be how the cup attaches - the cup is essentially inserted into the skimmer body and uses an o-ring to stay in place. It's pretty tight though so it's somewhat of a hassle to empty the thing.

~3 days of collection:

 

[Alexwlwsn]

Total random post but I finally added a heater and cheapo wavemaker to my salt mixing station, and I love it! Makes mixing salt extremely easy and fun.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

Total random post but I finally added a heater and cheapo wavemaker to my salt mixing station, and I love it! Makes mixing salt extremely easy and fun.

Cool! I just did the same for my system and it makes the whole process so much easier.