300ZXNA's 30 gal nanoreef

[300ZXNA]

Figured I should post some pics of my work in progress, the tank is still very young having been put up on Oct 1. Should be fun to watch this grow in and see what colonies I decide to keep, etc. A quick thanks to Aquarium Solutions, Aquatic Dreams, and Advanced Aquarium and Terrarium, all three have been significant sources of the equipment, livestock, and maintenance items. Also, a quick thanks to BrandyB who supplied several of the frags.

As for details, it is a standard 30 gal, 36" in length. Lighting is one 250w 14k Phoenix metal halide with PFO ballast. There is a refugium full of chaeto underneath with an AquaC Urchin skimmer. The return is a Rio 2100 (I know) with further circulation provided by a Koralia 1 and a maxijet 1200 with a hydor rotator. Chemical filtration consists of a pura pad and activated carbon that is changed as needed. Water changes are 10% per week, systemic volume is about 45 gallons. About 35 pounds of liverock between the main display and refugium.

Anyway, on to the pics! I apologize for the pic quality, this camera has zero macro capability so anything closer than arms length is difficult to capture.

Wide angle shot

Tricolor Acro and T. Maxima

Same T. Maxima from above

Favites, Fungia, and Purple Firefish

T Derasa on substrate

Green Target (possibly Eagle Eye?) Zoos

Blastomussa and Trachyphyllia

Just the Blastos

Yellownose Prawn Goby (it has a pistol shrimp paired with it, I couldn't get a clear shot of the shrimp)

It was hard to take these photos due to the clown fish always trying to crowd the lens

Anyway, it will be fun to see how this all changes over the next few months. I'm hoping to pull out a few pieces I haven't liked as well and replace them with some rarer pieces I'm searching for such as sunset montipora and red planet acropora.

 

[seattle989]

very nice!

 

[Krish]

Very nice setup! Good luck with it

 

[Myteemouse]

NICCCEEE!
That rock sure is purple for only three months old, did it come from another system?

 

[luke33]

Looks really good! Keep it up.

 

[300ZXNA]

The rock came from Kevin at Aquatic Dreams and while I don't know if it came from another tank, he did mention that it was very mature rock. It has definitely helped expedite things. Coralline algae growth has slowed in the tank due to the fact the inverts are starting to really suck down the Ca++. I need to figure out a better way to keep up. Hoping to avoid having to buy a reactor . . .

 

[surf_buddy]

Ummm... someone did their homework! Looks great and cheers to you're success. I have that same tri-color and I'm a big fan. I'd recommend getting that CA reactor when you can. I wish I would have gotten mine much earlier when I first started reel keeping. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[busdriver]

That looks good!
Let me know when it is time to frag you zoa...
I have some torch coral if you are still looking for some.
I agree with them... you have a lot of stuff absorbing Ca unless you dose with more than Kalk it'll be hard to keep your Ca up. (don't forget Mg)
Have you thought about making a cheap Ca reactor?
Stephen

 

[300ZXNA]

yeah, I've been dosing Seachem Advantage Calcium/Advantage Magnesium/Seachem Carbonate and testing it with Seachem kits and I've been around 370ppm Ca++ and 1200ppm Mg++, with a dKH of 9.5. I've been adding both supplements every other day and can't get it up any more, ideally I'd like 400ppm Ca++ and 1300ppm Mg++. This is an improvement though, when I first started testing my Ca++ it was 350ppm and Mg++ was 1100ppm (!) and dKH was 7.5. So it did rise initially, but it just seems to have hit a wall.

Oh, and I have a topoff system that I use kalkwasser in and I've put a fan on the tank to drive more evaporation to increase the Ca(OH)2 uptake (I've been losing 2 gallons a day) and I still can't get the Ca++ to appreciably rise.

*sigh*

I need a Ca++ reactor don't I?

Busdriver-
yeah, I'll definitely keep you in mind the zoos, as for the torch coral I decided against it because in a tank my size it would be hard to make sure its tentacles are kept to itself. I bought another variant of frogspawn instead for the spot . . . oh, and I have these three zoos on the way, let me know if any of them look interesting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=190279209087

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=190279209200

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=200298322469

 

[Allenfamily]

Very nice.

 

[busdriver]

I have one kind of like the first one, but i think that is different
The 2nd I do not have
I don't think i have the 3rd either. i know i have one pink on somewhere, but it was small when i got it, so i don't know what the center looks like.
If they are big enough for you to frag, i'd be glad to trade something... are you coming to the reef meeting this Saturday?
a couple of us were thinking about trying to make some Ca reactors. (me and two others for sure) we haven't tried to start yet, but we want to...
Stephen

 

[300ZXNA]

hey, I'll try to make it to the meeting, I just don't know how much homework I'll have (I'm pre-optometry at EWU). So what is all involved with the calcium reactors? Do they require a pH controller and solenoid? It seems those would be the main costs . . . or can you kind of fudge it and control it manually without much of a problem?

 

[busdriver]

I'm sure a ph controller would be best. also the CO2 regulators might not be cheap. i was thinking about trying to get some from a paint ball setup. if not there then from a welding place like Ox-arc...
I have a ph meter but it need a new probe... i was thinking about guessing. Of course i wouldn't use very much CO2 to start. maybe increase 1 bubble more each week and test ph a coulple times a week if not every day...
I hear you about homework. I used to lke math. Pre-calc is do-ible, but not fun... (i'm sure you know)

 

[300ZXNA]

heh, before I was optometry I was electrical engineering, had to take calc 1-3 and diff eq . . . fun times. yeah, I too was wondering if conservative use of a manual calcium reactor might work. I would think that automating the system would easily be double the cost.

 

[gas4544]

A pH controllor is not an absolute necessity to have with a calcium reactor. Back when I had a 75-gallon softie tank, I ran a dual chamber calcium reactor. After I got it dialed in, it kept my calcium and alkilinity right where I wanted it to be.

I have a 30-gallon montipora tank. I am using similar Seachem products plus kalwasser to maintain calcium and alkilinity. Last week, I purchased the complete calcium/alkilinity/magnesium kit from Bulk Reef Supply. I still have my old calcium reactor, but I decided to go with BRS additives instead, at least for now.

Gary

 

[busdriver]

yeah, i'm not looking forward to those... I'm planning on being a Mech. Engineer... (long as i don't wuss out...) hehe

 

[300ZXNA]

Cool, though in honesty Calc I is easier than pre-calc. Calc II is the one that blows, if you make it past that Calc III and Diff Eq are not bad. Just make sure you learn how to derive everything, don't formula grab or you're going to end up in trouble.

 

[johnson71]

No way dude, before I was pre-optometry, I was ME at WSU. I'm gonna agree with you on precalc being harder than calc I. precalc's a b****, you end up looking at 60+ problems a night of boring take-too-long algebra problems. It's used as a weed out class over here, made for some crappy times way back in my first semester.

heh, before I was optometry I was electrical engineering, had to take calc 1-3 and diff eq . . . fun times. yeah, I too was wondering if conservative use of a manual calcium reactor might work. I would think that automating the system would easily be double the cost.

 

[300ZXNA]

lol, I was EE at U of I. Where you looking for optometry? My #1 choice is Pacific down in OR. Kind of want to stay close to the family. That and Oregon is a pretty cool state, being only 2 hours from the coast is awesome.

 

[johnson71]

Top 2 are Southern California and Fort Lauderdale...God I would have a sweet reef tank if I could dive around there. Unfortunately they are also the most competetive schools, so also Berkeley

lol, I was EE at U of I. Where you looking for optometry? My #1 choice is Pacific down in OR. Kind of want to stay close to the family. That and Oregon is a pretty cool state, being only 2 hours from the coast is awesome.