Finally I'm back

[adamg77]

Hello! I am finally back in the hobby! What started with leak testing a 10 gallon aquarium in the backyard which led to the wife approving a freshwater planted tank(went out and got a 20 gallon). I have been scouring Facebook marketplace for about 6 months trying to get a tank that would meet my needs ideally something over 90 gallons. Finally I was the first one in line! I was able to snag a Planet Aquarium 140 gallon 48"x24"x29" that had been used for a freshwater tank with a DIY wet dry big canister filter and an LED light. Picked it all up for a whooping $500!

My plan is for a mixed reef heavy on the inverts as my children love watching crabs and shrimpys with as little maintenance and cost as possible. My current plan is to handle the sump (which I will DIY using a 27 gallon storage tub) and plumbing (Herbie overflow) and then get the sand and rockwork set out so I can begin the cycling process. I also plan on utilizing a gravity fed ATO in my attic by placing a 27 gallon storage container with a lid connected to the RODI system with a float valve in the container but only turning this on manually. I then plan to create a drip tray using a 38 gallon container in case of a problem that would then drain outside as a failsafe. This would allow me to put the gravity fed ATO in the attic (supported well of course) and then connect into the sump via a float valve. I also have been looking into a WiFi controlled 1/4" solenoid valve like this one to be able to shut it off remotely.

While I would like an Apex I don't believe it is in the budget. I have been doing quite a bit of research and my plan for dosing to maintain the major and minor is Tropic Marin All for reef on a dosing pump. I also plan to create as much of an ecosystem as possible utilizing macroalgae in the display and in the fuge area. My goal is to create a sustainable system that relies very little on myself aside from feedings. I am very interested in culturing phyto and then dosing into the aquarium.

I also plan on using my 3D printer when possible

My questions to the community:
Does anyone have reference for dosing phytoplankton?
Does anyone have any experience with using Tropc Marin All for reef?

 

[TX_REEF]

nice find on the tank! I personally would think twice on the tub for sump, it doesn't look like the type meant to hold water long term so I'd worry about longevity. You'd be better off getting a cheap 40 breeder fish tank, in my humble opinion.

 

[adamg77]

nice find on the tank! I personally would think twice on the tub for sump, it doesn't look like the type meant to hold water long term so I'd worry about longevity. You'd be better off getting a cheap 40 breeder fish tank, in my humble opinion.

Thanks for the advice the one pictured is not the one I plan on going with I was just trying to figure out dimensions of an ATO but that was before I decided to go with the gravity fed system. I might just do a 40 gallon breeder if it fits for easier baffle design.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[adamg77]

Well I scored big! A fellow hobbyist was selling his system and I was able to scavenge his system. He was taking down the exact same tank and was asking a fair price for the sump, sand, plumbing, and a few Hanna test kits.

I also picked up a 6x48” ATI nondimmable light fixture off marketplace for $50.

Still very excited about the tank! I do need to hang the fixture and figure out bulb composition.

I need to start working on the aquascape as that is now the limiting factor. I also have to setup the gravity fed ATO but that won’t be too bad.

Has anyone ever just dripped their ATO into their tank slowly?

 

[CO2TLEY]

Thats a steal for the ATI fixture. I have the 60” 6 bulb. Nice tank

 

[adamg77]

Thats a steal for the ATI fixture. I have the 60” 6 bulb. Nice tank

I couldn’t believe the prices and three bulbs! Thanks I’m very excited

 

[CO2TLEY]

Are you going for the more white look or blue? You could run 4x aqua blue special and 2x coral plus for a more white look. Or 4x blue plus and 2x coral plus for a more blue look

 

[adamg77]

Honestly I think I prefer a slightly more blue than white but still white. I need to do some more research on actinic bulbs. It appears they potentially hit a wavelength that is beneficial?

 

[CO2TLEY]

No expert so take this information lightly but i dont believe you have to have actinic bulbs for good coral growth

 

[adamg77]

Well got some parts ordered for the ATO should be in soon. Picking up some dry Pukani this week to start on the scape. Utilizing marketplace heavily and I’m coming in below budget. Dry fit the plumbing today gunna glue it in tomorrow and pick up a skimmer.

Also got some cool pictures of a freshwater mussel in my freshwater tank.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I'm following! This is my kind of build!

I dose phyto in my tank everyday. Used to do it at night but I do it when I feed now bc I have some corals that benefit on it more. There's a couple of good sellers on here that you can buy from in the beginning until you get your culture going. It isn't too hard to culture but you have to keep everything very clean. I Mean very clean or you will lose your cultures. But there's sections on here to learn how to do it as well. I have a trusted person on here if you want a name that will ship to your door.

Also I feel like dosing the phyto helps to keep other algae like things from growing as much in my tank.

All for reef also works really well. I bought a single doser and it pumps mine in everyday.

I recently moved and had to break down and set up a essentially a new tank from my old one so for now I'm hand dosing but I love all for reef. It works really well for mixed reefs.

Good luck!

 

[adamg77]

I'm following! This is my kind of build!

I dose phyto in my tank everyday. Used to do it at night but I do it when I feed now bc I have some corals that benefit on it more. There's a couple of good sellers on here that you can buy from in the beginning until you get your culture going. It isn't too hard to culture but you have to keep everything very clean. I Mean very clean or you will lose your cultures. But there's sections on here to learn how to do it as well. I have a trusted person on here if you want a name that will ship to your door.

Also I feel like dosing the phyto helps to keep other algae like things from growing as much in my tank.

All for reef also works really well. I bought a single doser and it pumps mine in everyday.

I recently moved and had to break down and set up a essentially a new tank from my old one so for now I'm hand dosing but I love all for reef. It works really well for mixed reefs.

Good luck!

Thank you for your input! I’m very excited to be back in the hobby! From the sounds of it all for reef should work well for my demands.

It does seem that plankton is pretty crucial to life so I definitely plan on keeping it flowing in the tank

 

[CrimsonTide]

Thank you for your input! I’m very excited to be back in the hobby! From the sounds of it all for reef should work well for my demands.

It does seem that plankton is pretty crucial to life so I definitely plan on keeping it flowing in the tank

I think you'll like all for reef.

I would start dosing phyto early on and letting your tank get used to it. You can dose more and more as your tank gets used to it. Since I did a reset on my tank moving it I have a 29gallon and I have got it to where I essentially dose 1.5oz a day but it will go up to probably 3oz. Which right now costs about $20 a month if I could convince my family to let me have some space to set up my own cultures I probably would but unless I set it up under the house I'm not sure where I would have space for it.

 

[adamg77]

Picked up some pukani from marketplace and got the plumbing glued and dried. Woke up around 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep I was so excited lol

Need to pick up some mortar and super glue so I can start making things more solid and actually add height. I have a decent idea of what I’m looking for but thankfully I have time on my side despite wanting to start the cycle.

I also need to add some strip lights that I had laying around in the garage to the stand area.

What is everyone using as a liner for the stand?

 

[adamg77]

This is such an awesome hobby!

 

[adamg77]

Been looking at controllers and have been seeing the usage of raspberry pi’s. Stumbled on a controller called robo tank does anyone use this? How difficult is it to setup for a guy who doesn’t mess with small components? The cost is definitely doable and it even seems like savings compared to purchasing totally separate parts like dosing pumps

 

[adamg77]

Been a bit since my last update

It was filled with water and mixed with salt beginning of March with a small amount of seeded live rock from a friends system.

Waited until no more ammonia and nitrite and then we add fish!

Two clowns (Marlin and Nemo obviously) passed QT (one didn’t eat at first but I think was just stressed.)

I also have since added 2 hermit crabs.
A local reefer took me up on my deal for treating their yard ( I run a landscape compan) in exchange for coral. The Gonis are doing well along with the green star polyp.
The candy canes are absolutely epic and feed so much at night.

I purchased copepods and phyto from reef by Steele (can’t tag for some reason) and they are loving all the algae that has since decided to grow after being gone for 7 days turkey hunting.

Added 1 turbo and 3 trochus snails along with 2 emerald crabs. I am trialing how much food they can consume so I am choosing to not scrape off the glass. The algae also seems to be a safe space for the pods as there are dozens on and around it.

My philosophy is to let nature do its thing while maintaining the water parameters. So far parameters are good aside from PH which I attribute it to a dropping Kh and an increase in C02 inside as it is now finally getting hot outside. We have been windows open which has been the major change in pH although not the only factor - I also added a skimz monster 167 and have started to dose elimi-np at the recommendation of @Lou Ekus.

I do not believe I am at the point of dosing all for reef but I believe I am close. From my understanding it takes time for the bacteria to process the calcium formate. Is there any benefit to begin dosing in small quantities (with proper testing) to build up the bacteria population. Say 1mL an hour a day - the calculator is saying roughly 50mL a day.

I’m taking things slowly and still very much learning. Once the algae goes by by I’ll be adding some corals. My next addition to the tank will be some more clean up crew and some more macro algae. For fish my kids want a shark and an octopus after visiting the Kansas City Zoo so I hope they’ll be happy with the banggai fish I will be putting in QT soon.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Hello! I am finally back in the hobby! What started with leak testing a 10 gallon aquarium in the backyard which led to the wife approving a freshwater planted tank(went out and got a 20 gallon). I have been scouring Facebook marketplace for about 6 months trying to get a tank that would meet my needs ideally something over 90 gallons. Finally I was the first one in line! I was able to snag a Planet Aquarium 140 gallon 48"x24"x29" that had been used for a freshwater tank with a DIY wet dry big canister filter and an LED light. Picked it all up for a whooping $500!

My plan is for a mixed reef heavy on the inverts as my children love watching crabs and shrimpys with as little maintenance and cost as possible. My current plan is to handle the sump (which I will DIY using a 27 gallon storage tub) and plumbing (Herbie overflow) and then get the sand and rockwork set out so I can begin the cycling process. I also plan on utilizing a gravity fed ATO in my attic by placing a 27 gallon storage container with a lid connected to the RODI system with a float valve in the container but only turning this on manually. I then plan to create a drip tray using a 38 gallon container in case of a problem that would then drain outside as a failsafe. This would allow me to put the gravity fed ATO in the attic (supported well of course) and then connect into the sump via a float valve. I also have been looking into a WiFi controlled 1/4" solenoid valve like this one to be able to shut it off remotely.

While I would like an Apex I don't believe it is in the budget. I have been doing quite a bit of research and my plan for dosing to maintain the major and minor is Tropic Marin All for reef on a dosing pump. I also plan to create as much of an ecosystem as possible utilizing macroalgae in the display and in the fuge area. My goal is to create a sustainable system that relies very little on myself aside from feedings. I am very interested in culturing phyto and then dosing into the aquarium.

I also plan on using my 3D printer when possible

My questions to the community:
Does anyone have reference for dosing phytoplankton?
Does anyone have any experience with using Tropc Marin All for reef?

Welcome back. We do have recommendations on dosing phytoplankton. In the early stages I recommend dosing 1 ml of a good live phytoplankton per actual gallon of water volume in your system per day. This is sufficient to support copepods which I recommend adding as soon as your tank is cycled. Recommend something like our blended pods, Tisbe, Apocyclops and Tigriopus. Later after you have added fish, if cruisers like wrasses and anthias I recommend adding pelagic species like in our colossal pods (the first three plus Acartia, Pseudo and Parvo) as the cruisers will hunt them out of the water column. With a good refugium establishing colonies should be do able. Once you start adding corals jump to 2 ml per gallon per day which should be sufficient for most reefs.

Difficult but not impossible to dose automatically. Just need a vessel with air to keep it suspended and no more than a weeks worth at a time. Refrigerate the remainder. If you want to culture your own, you can check out our culturing kits (or DIY). Our kits come with everything you need except a timer for the lights (we use Alexa outlets) and an air pump. Plus all the fertilizer for the specific strains you select and The starter cultures along with our step by step guide and personal (almost 24 hour a day) support to help you get started and deal with any issues you encounter. My wife @Ocean_Queenie successfully ran on of our systems by herself successfully for three cycles following my guide. The only help I gave her was she used our premixed sanitized water (yes she doesn’t know how to mix salt water yet she still produced two rich strains of phyto and Apocyclops pods).

I don’t like to (advertise) in threads, but since you asked lol.

Check us out at
www.reefbysteele.com

 

[adamg77]

@Reef By Steele yes thank you for your assistance and recommendations. I forgot which blend I bought but the pods are doing great and I’m dosing the phyto daily. I do intend to purchase the culture kit and put it on a doser. I’d like to put quite a bit of NPS coral and inverts as they are gorgeous