# Chumlee's EBI Reef Tank



## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

Wow that is so cool, I always thought someone should do that, you should get some sexy shrimps for the Ebi in Fluval Ebi.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I plan on getting a peppermint shrimp

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## WingoAgency (Jan 10, 2006)

I vote for sexy shrimp too but not so sure will the damsel let him alone. Haha

or if you can readily get food for them, Harlequins can be interesting.


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## Sd760 (Apr 25, 2011)

Excited to see it grow. Sub'd


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

So...I got rid of the damsel and added 2 clown fish (NANO sized....sooooo small. I understand they'll grow.) and a peppermint shrimp. I have a bit of aptasia on one of the pieces of live rock so I needed the peppermint species in particular because they are the only ones that eat the aptasia.


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## TeamTeal (Mar 31, 2010)

even if you do get a true peppermint shrimps. its a hit or miss with aptasia


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

ITS GONNA EAT THEM!!!! lol....i hope.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

The pic doesn't really show it but they're sooooo small.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

very nice pictures. I was wondering when someone was going to do this lol


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I was wondering when the monkeys would bring your icon back :0 

Luckily...you are done wondering while I will sit here all night wondering


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i love this! how much do you think it cost you up to this point?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Cost of EBI- 90 bucks
Replacement bulb - 11 bucks (im getting another though...a blue-ish one)
Live Rock - 40 bucks
Live sand - 10 bucks
Filter - 100 about
powerhead - 10 bucks
fish - 30 bucks

I had everything except the sand/rock/fish. 

*I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION....

*

My friend has an RO system and he agreed to let me take as much water as I need for my tank. It is currently being run on RO water.


Having said that...If I was to keep any of my planted tanks with this RO water I would have an ada quality tank lol..I have had such nice hardscapes, all of the equipment, but my water kept holding me back. I have water that's worse than liquid rock...and it also is run through a water softner.


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## The Dude (Feb 8, 2011)

This thread is making my life very difficult. I was content with my 5 established running tanks. I love my 75g and 46g. I also love the RCS that will be going into the 10g once the bully Angelfish gets readjusted and goes back into the 46g. The 20g is for OEBT's that I'll be acquiring soon. The 29g on the other hand is not something I ever even look at.


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

It is so nice to see normal clowns, no snowflakes that sort of thing. It makes me want a saltwater tank again.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

karatekid14 said:


> It is so nice to see normal clowns, no snowflakes that sort of thing. It makes me want a saltwater tank again.


Yeah...this is my first. I like to learn new things and saltwater is something completely new. 

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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

chumlee said:


> I was wondering when the monkeys would bring your icon back :0
> 
> Luckily...you are done wondering while I will sit here all night wondering


Cant find the monkey


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## RATTIE (Jan 20, 2010)

It looks really nice.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

My peppermint shrimp ate the aiptasia last night....his first night in the tank!!!!(Or at least i cant find the aiptasia now...thats almost as good lol)


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## Cynth (Sep 11, 2010)

Very nice! Makes me want one.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Is there a third ebi in your future?


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

so about 290. thats not bad! im seriously thinking of setting something like this up! it looks so calm and simple, i like that!


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I didn't buy it all at once so i dont really know. Ive had tanks for a few years now and I set up the tank with everything I had . I only needed to buy the rock/sand.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

right, i was just trying to get in the ballpark. because i really want to do this now!


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

UPDATE TIME


Well...the clownfish didn't do too well (NTS)...i got a little over eager. 

I let the tank sit for a while and got a harptail blenny...I also saw an anemone from the petstore for cheap so I couldn't resist.



2011-09-07_19-17-52 by JPang Photography, on Flickr


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## 10gallonplanted (Oct 31, 2010)

I hope thats not the anenome I had. They get HUGE... And it ate a couple damsels.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

It might be  

I dont have much rock...ill just remove it if it gets too big. Its not too hard to do in an 8g. It looks good for now  

Thanks for the heads up!


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## bcoffey (Sep 1, 2011)

I would recommend adding more lr to the tank if your planning on doing a reef. Also what kind of filter material is in the canister filter?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I plan on adding live rock up that back wall to the top (kinda like you see in those biocube pictures).

I bought that anemone for now but I am not going to buy other _stuff_ for now. Im trying to pace myself out and add a little bit of rock at a time. 


In the canister filter I have the bio media, the Blue coarse filter, White fine filter, and some cotton balls (ultra fine filter) ...


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## bcoffey (Sep 1, 2011)

make sure to watch your nitrates running a canister filter, mushrooms,zoos and most leathers are ok but stony corals wont do well. and btw that condylactis anemone looks great in the front, has it moved around on you yet?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Would you recommend getting any other type of filter or running just a powerhead w/ no filter? 

The condy did move when I first put it in ( it was one of the coolest things ive ever seen) but he latched to that spot Haha. 


My blenny seems to be hiding in some weird spots. He either sits on top of the heater or sticks himself to the glass vertically behind the filter outlet/spraybar lol. When I nudge him he swims just fine and looks healthy. I just got him today.


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## semperfimrn1 (Jan 19, 2011)

i would get a nano powerhead cause more movement in there would be ideal


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## bcoffey (Sep 1, 2011)

a nano powerhead would be a great addition to that tank you should check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9miXlQQ31v0 this will work better than the canister filter and if you keep up on supplementation of calcium and alkalinity i dont see why you would be able to keep some stony corals like montipora and maybe even some acros


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Okay....well, the tank is doing good!

I have a little bit of brown algae but I cut down on the lighting hours and it's starting to decrease. Because of the cut back in the lighting, the anemone has moved to the top of the rocks (right where all three meet).

I am adding a black ocellaris clown today (as i type). 


I also started dosing some Kent marine nano reef buffers. I am using ro water so I think that these buffers are going to help me out a little bit with the algae outbreak as well as far as balancing the water chemistry out.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

cool! lets see more pics! 

i decided to set my 5g up as a nano reef. all my supplies and equipment should be here on friday! tyhanks for the inspiration


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Nice!!!! 

Ill take a pic now I guess


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)




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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

Ok. I was asking myself how long it would be before someone did this. I am totally subscribed, and I think I know the next tank I want to do.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I could use some more live rock but it looks great for now IMO  

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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks good! i live the surfboards haha


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## cableguy69846 (Dec 13, 2010)

chumlee said:


> I could use some more live rock but it looks great for now IMO
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


It does look good. If you add more, I would say only one or two more pieces. It looks amazing now and will look even better with some coral.


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## james1542 (Sep 8, 2011)

Very clean look to that ebi.

You may want to ditch the filter media. I've heard it will leach nitrates. Also your 5k bulb probably has way more par than a 50/50. Always heard the 420/460 nm spectrum doesn't really do much for photosynthesis. A refugium with chaetomorpha would better serve a nano reef, but that ehim probably adds some nice circulation.

Also that tank probably can only support one fish in reef mode. If you have algae problems it might be from their bioload. Oh and the brown algae is typically the first algal bloom as the tank matures. It should go away, and something else will take over, hopefully purple corraline. 

And look out for the condy, they often arrive in rough shape and you don't want it dying in your tank. They can eat frozen brine shrimp and meaty stuff like that. I'd also recommend getting a metal halide if you decide to get sps. But your light looks good for softies and LPS.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for all of that info...


The condy died lol...it was doing pretty bad and now I cant find it...im planning on taking it out right after I type this.

I will keep this bulb if it means that i would be able to do some easier corals.

When you mean filter media what do you mean (which type of media...all of it?)? I only have the mechanical filtration (and bio media)....no carbon,etc. 


how I would go about setting up a refugium?


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## james1542 (Sep 8, 2011)

Usually those condys come in bleached out, and on deaths door. Typically reefers don't use any spongy media or bio-filter media, or mechanical filtration for that matter. It's OK to throw a bag of carbon in every now and then, but it might suck up some minerals from your salt mix so I only did it on occasion to really polish up the water. In the reef your live rock provides the biofilter and yet the water can still maintain pretty clear (not sure if all of the filter feeding life forms pull any particles out or what exactly). Skimmers or settling areas in a refugium or sump could help keep it clean too.

A refugium can be as simple or complex as you'd like it. You could get the same effect by throwing a ball of chaetomorpha right in your tank, however it would get everywhere and not look so nice. Basically you need to give the chaeto flow(could be very little, just to get your water cycled through it) and light. I've done this in the display tank, inside a clear containment vessel like one of those clear suction cup soap dishes you can get at the grocery store, or you could have it inside a filter, or a sump. You can buy hang on the back acrylic refugiums, or in-tank acrylic refugiums, or turn a power filter into one. I've seen a build on some reefing forums where someone plumbed a submersible light into a canister filter like you have, and grew their chaeto in there. You can also do much more than chaeto with a refugium, some add mangroves, live rock and sand, snails and hermit crabs to their refugiums, but it's not necessary per se.

Here is a link to my old tank, I ran the in tank soap dish refugium for a while with good success: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=105246&pid=978770&st=0&#entry978770


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## aaronbrown (Apr 13, 2010)

it looks like your running a canister filter on that reef they are knowen as nitrate factories id run a ac70 with the mods to use it as a refuge for cheato and get a small hang on back protien skimmer candys if you get them from a lfs are not going to be healthy and they are going to need strong light and supllemental feedingss to help them recover and rebuild the algae that they naturaly have inside them


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## aaronbrown (Apr 13, 2010)

as far as coral goes you could grow zoas mushrooms and a few other softies how many gallons is that tank


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

8



I think that my harptail blenny jumped  

He got a little aggressive with my clownfish and now the harptail is missing....


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i read that canister filters can be nitrate factories as well. so i am not going to use some.


all my stuff came today!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

what's up chumlee, that looks like a start to a reef tank allright.
Check out my reef - it's a 3 gallon:









If you need some advice, I could help out too =)


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

thats a great tank! any pointers for a beginner in nano reefs?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

plenty of pointers haha. but the first one is take things slow at the start. especially with livestock.

Lots of research for a good method to starting and maintaining a small reef tank is key. Many people have come up with different methods in this hobby, which is why its important to search for a method that interests you and see how much success someone is having with that method. pictures help a lot. Read threads about how people take care of their reef tanks. One good place to further your research is Nano Reef Forums. Members of that site have kept reefs for a long time (in general) so chances are you will learn quality information if you are willing to sift through many interesting tank threads


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

thanks!

If either of you have any specific questions, I can try to advise haha.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I might have to take you up on that  Really great info, thanks a lot!


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## kuro (May 21, 2010)

Do you have a link to your nano reef build newman? i would love to see what livestock you have and what your setup like. I'm planning on getting a nano reef one day too but for now i need to do a lot of reading.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Newman said:


> plenty of pointers haha. but the first one is take things slow at the start. especially with livestock.
> 
> Lots of research for a good method to starting and maintaining a small reef tank is key. Many people have come up with different methods in this hobby, which is why its important to search for a method that interests you and see how much success someone is having with that method. pictures help a lot. Read threads about how people take care of their reef tanks. One good place to further your research is Nano Reef Forums. Members of that site have kept reefs for a long time (in general) so chances are you will learn quality information if you are willing to sift through many interesting tank threads


thanks! ive done alot of research already. but it seems like there is so much info out there, idk where to start or whats really important

im a member of nano-reef. its a bit slow. my thread there kinda got lost. 



Newman said:


> thanks!
> 
> If either of you have any specific questions, I can try to advise haha.


thats a problem of mine, i dont know what questions to ask. im planning on doing mine in a 5g



kuro said:


> Do you have a link to your nano reef build newman? i would love to see what livestock you have and what your setup like. I'm planning on getting a nano reef one day too but for now i need to do a lot of reading.


id love to see this as well!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=226381&st=0&start=0
I am also a member of nano-reef.

orchidman, i suggest moving your thread to the pico reef section of the forum. but it looks like you are getting good help already on that thread. I'll post on it too.


Chumlee, how is your EBI doing right now? What animals are in it? What are the water parameters? How much algae is growing right now? Also how long has the tank been setup and how long has it been since you confirmed that the cycle was over?


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

wats the difference between pictope and nano reef? also, can i move my own thread?

sorry for hijacking


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

the picotope is the name of the 3 gal tank made by JBJ (called the JBJ Picotope). That's what my tank is, just like chumlee's tank is the Fluval EBI.

The term "pico" means a very small tank (most commonly used for small reef tanks, but some refer to their small planted tanks as pico tanks). There are many definitions for the term regarding the amount of gallons. IMO anything smaller than a 5.5 gal tank is pico. Thats the more common view point. So anything above 5.5 i would consider a nano tank. Beyond that is a regular, large tank category of anything 100gals or more, but I am not familiar with that since I've never gone above 40 gals haha!

You will have to message a mod in order for them to move your thread to the pico section.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i see. ill message a mod


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

orchidman;
I would start out with a 15g with a 10g sump. That way it is more stable and big enough for all the cool corals. Gobys are always good beginner fish.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

as are clownfish, if you're doing a 15 gal display. both are nice beginner friendly choices. (as long as you don't get ridiculous and get something demanding like a panda clown goby)


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

i already have the tank.. its a 5.5 derimmed. and i just got the stuff in the mail. you can look at my 10g planted journal for more info or my journal at nano reef. i dont want to hijack from chum


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

any updates chum?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Tomorrow 

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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

woohoooooo!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

nice, looking forward to it.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

still waiting! where is the update?

im getting my tank and live rock tomorrow. checkout my journal newman if you want updates on that. at least while we wait for chum to update!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes chum, you gotta have some new happenings by now lol.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

im not good at waiting!


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

ugh...gotta update this for you guys...

the tank has been running great.

I did a major cleaning yesterday!

I have 1 mushroom (hitchhiker from the live rock) and one group of polyps right now. My friend also has a tree like coral frag or me that I have yet to pick up (im a noob lol...dont know what it's called).

I have 1 standard ocellaris clown right now! 

Pics to come!


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

is that the only fish in the tank right now?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

yep....he's pretty happy though haha

I had a shrimp but I haven't seen him in about a month


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

I didn't read the rest of the thread, but did you end up getting the sexy or peppermint?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes which shrimp was it again? you should have seen him by ow if it was alive...
sounds like good room for 1 clown! i keep thinking this is 4 gals when is 8...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

It was a peppermint shrimp. Im pretty sure that he's not alive lol.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i suggest you go with a nice showy blood fire shrimp once you get some more money and your tank stabilizes in the next couple of months. it's better to wait, but i think you should be ready in about 3-4 months as long as you dont get any deaths or algae blooms


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I already Fought my first algae war. I won,thank god lol.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

Every time you post in this thread without pictures a kitten gets punched in the face by baby Jesus.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol..


chum, there may be more algae blooms coming your way in the future, just don't panic and make sure to figure out a good maintenance routine with your tank to help prevent such blooms. CUC choices also help, but it mostly depends on how your system handles nutrients.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Cant post pics right now because I refuse to use my iphone....my brother took my dslr for today...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

K....here goes nothing....i need a top off and to clean the outside glass again.


It looks better in person...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Damn...I miss my old tank.


Creeper Danboard by JPang Photography, on Flickr


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

lol @ old tank

And are you sure you won your first algae war in that SW nano? looks like you still have plenty of algae around in there...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Yeah lol it stopped growing on the substrate (algae and Cyanobacteria) , but I haven't cleaned it off of the heater and filter yet. I like how it looks lol. I like the algae on the live rock as well.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

try one emerald crab in your tank as your CUC.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I was thinking about it. I'll pick one up next time I'm in the store. Thanks for the recommendation.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes, in fact i HIGHLY recommend one. that way you can basically forgo hermits and most snails. that crab does the work of millions imo lol.


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## rikardob (Aug 13, 2011)

How are you liking the salty rocks vs planted fresh?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

I'm liking both very much, but I know you're not asking me haha.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

looks awesome chum!

newman- would 1 emerald crab take the place of an entire CUC?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

yes pretty much. you'd still maybe want a few dwarf ceriths to help you clean the areas high up on the glass where the emerald cant reach, but since you should be cleaning the glass yourself, its not the biggest issue.

You may be thinking about why you don't see people only using emerald crabs, and that is because many people either get unlucky with their crabs or they starve them so the crabs move onto the corals once the algae is gone.

I have had very little issues with mine in my 3 gallon. i feel its because i fed him every other day with dried seaweed.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info!


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## sssnel (Nov 8, 2011)

Wow! That makes me wonder if I should do the same with my Ebi...


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I would


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## baysidefish (Sep 29, 2011)

It looks nice. How often do you do wc?do you clean the filter often? 
There is no overflow, do you think it could be an issue in the future? Thx


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I try to do a wc every week but sometimes it takes a little longer.....I am using to water for wc's and top offs. 

The filter,ever since taking the sponge out., has not been cleaned. 

I don't know much about saltwater so idk. I think my tank should do just fine in the long run.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

I would still rinse out the canister once a month or so...
you meant RO water right? if you mix your own SW, which salt are you using?

weekly water changes are ideal, even if its just a gallon.
I can't see why no overflow is an issue...but i may be missing something.


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## baysidefish (Sep 29, 2011)

I would suggest using ro di water than just ro water.

Not sure what chum lee use, but I use instant ocean.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

RO/DI filter units make RO/DI water apparently? I just call it RO for short lol. the stuff sold at a store called distilled is probably DI, with no added minerals.

I use instant ocean salt too. used to use the reef crystals but for now i find that regular instant ocean is fine for my reef. i dose too so that may be why its adequate.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I buy those small bags of oceanic salt. 

I use RO/DI water.. It's my friends unit. He lets me take water being that I only need like 5gal/week and he has a 90 gal. tank.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)




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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

well it does look natural but...what happened to the fish?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I had the same clownfish for the past 1-1.5 months or so, and 2 days ago he jumped out. EVEN WITH THE LID ON!!! I was so pissed, because I actually started to get attached to that fish. 

I have some turbo snails and shrimp in there until i get a new clownfish.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

how did he jump through a lid? make sure there are no gaps!
is it the peppermint shrimp?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

The peppermint shrimp actually dissapeared...he might have been eaten, I have no clue. those are two camel shrimp. 


Although It sounds like I have a lot of problems going on in my tank, It has actually been stable for the past month or two.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

...unfortunate.
you should be aware that camel shrimp are not reef safe, so try to keep this mostly a LR and macro tank then with few corals.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Well my mushroom hitchhiker is doing well. My other polyp isn't. That might be why.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Great setup, really want to do a reef but am afraid to lol


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

not much to fear. you can always start cheap and small, and then work your way up and add expensive stuff far down the road. Anyway, the more you let your system age before you start adding hardcore corals, the better .


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I read a little... but what does it take to get started? In addition to the kit.

- Good lighting I know
- Protein skimmer?
- How do you make "salt water" or do you have to buy gallons of it? Or use aquarium salt? Measurements scare me
- Heater? Apartment @ constant 74-78F year round, what temperature do Reefs require?
- Filter? I noticed you got a new one.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

it depends on the kit you get. some may have adequate lighting for reef from the start. you only need to upgrade to better lighting if you want to keep specific or more demanding corals like SPS and maybe clams. Mirco Reefs has a very good deal on a 2.5 gal kit with filter and light included. for something like $50.00. 
http://www.micro-reefs.com/products--shop.html
There is also a good deal on a Finnex 4gal tank somewhere on the web.

You do not need a protein skimmer - especially for a pico tank (you cant even fit one on a pico unless you plumb to a big sump) The key is, instead weekly water changes.

You make saltwater by mixing a gallon of RO/DI water (or if you can't make it then regular distilled water from a grocery store will work) with about 1/2 cup of salt mix. each salt mix will have directions for mixing on it anyway. I personally use Instant Ocean salt and their Reef Crystals salt. i have to mix 1/2 cup per gallon of FW. i mix it for about one day and then use it up.

78F is prime reef temps. a reef can take 74F too, you may be fine w/o a heater.

any hob filter works. some reefs can be run with only one powerhead. the key to filtration is just having water circulated through live rock. no need for anything else. Still some of us put things into out hob filters like filter floss (to catch particulates. we throw this away once or twice a week, so you only use a tiny amount at once), active carbon, and maybe macroalgae if we setup a refugium in out HOBs. but only in HOBs that are big enough.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

Cheapest kit I see on that site is 125. Can you post a link to the actual product?


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

its the very bottom kit for roughly $50
also the finnex 4 gal kits on like go for about the same amount. the kit you want should include a light, tank and filter. those are some basics. you're still going to need to buy other stuff like sand, rocks, salt and distilled water.


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## epiphany (Oct 8, 2011)

Reading this makes me want a nano reef so bad, but I know I really shouldn't.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

xenxes said:


> I read a little... but what does it take to get started? In addition to the kit.
> 
> - Good lighting I know
> - Protein skimmer?
> ...


Some of the best nano reefs I have seen had no filter or protein skimmer or any other type of equipment other than a good powerhead and heater. Live rock and good flow is all you need.

The salt mix is also important and the cheaper stuff like instant ocean can be a pain because it won't dissolve all the way after mixing for 24 hours and salinity is always off. The best salt I ever used was DD H2Ocean Magnesium Pro Plus. It is more expensive than the common stuff but it mixes to the right salinity, parameters are dead on and leaves no residue after mixing for 24 hours. If I remember correctly 1 cup of salt made 1 gal of saltwater.

I found the least troublesome and cheapest way to get live rock is to buy dry (base) rock and seed it yourself with some live sand or a little bit of live rock rubble from the LFS. Depending on how much you need just get a plastic container, drop the dry rock with live sand, live rubble with a powerhead and heater inside with saltwater. Set the temp on the heater to 82deg and come back 3 months later to find perfect live rock with no hitchhikers. Check the container once a week for evaporation and add non-saltwater accordingly.

Also for a smaller tank <12gal you don't really need RO/DI water. Distilled water is perfectly fine. A refractometer is also a nice tool to have to check exact water salinity.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

gus6464 said:


> Some of the best nano reefs I have seen had no filter or protein skimmer or any other type of equipment other than a good powerhead and heater. Live rock and good flow is all you need.
> 
> The salt mix is also important and the cheaper stuff like instant ocean can be a pain because it won't dissolve all the way after mixing for 24 hours and salinity is always off. The best salt I ever used was DD H2Ocean Magnesium Pro Plus. It is more expensive than the common stuff but it mixes to the right salinity, parameters are dead on and leaves no residue after mixing for 24 hours. If I remember correctly 1 cup of salt made 1 gal of saltwater.
> 
> ...


Lol you make it sound so easy! Guess my 3rd tank will be salt  

You don't have to do weekly water changes with just the rock & sand? When would you be able to introduce fish or shrimp?


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Your reef tank looks so clean. No visible crusty build up.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

xenxes said:


> Lol you make it sound so easy! Guess my 3rd tank will be salt
> 
> You don't have to do weekly water changes with just the rock & sand? When would you be able to introduce fish or shrimp?


When the rock is curing in a container you don't want to do any water changes at all. When it's in the tank a weekly water change is good to replenish trace elements. If you decide to have clams you will for sure need to do weekly water changes to replenish calcium in the water column.

As far as adding fish and corals if you fully cure the rock in a separate container before adding to tank you can stock right away. The point of curing dry rock yourself is to cycle the tank before actually setting up the tank. When you transfer the cured rock from container to tank you want to do a big water change.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

shrimpnmoss said:


> Your reef tank looks so clean. No visible crusty build up.


Thanks, I sure do enjoy this tank.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

weekly water changes are very useful. i believe they keep water fresher and as gus said, it replenishes traces. if you get clams or many SPS in a small tank, you most likely will need to dose eventually. I do it every other day in my pico. i think it really helps keep things in good health. I do about 2 gallons of a WC weekly, but since my tank is small (3gals) its easy to change out most of the water at once. for a larger tank i recommend about a gallon a week to not be much of a hassle.

On the notion of adding things to the tank. After its cycled and stable for a while, regardless of the method used, I think fish or shrimp could be added about 2 to 4 weeks after the CUC is added. the CUC is usually added roughly 2 weeks after a cycle has been completed.

And also the simplest setup is just a tank, light, live rock, and powerhead. that's only two plugs for the whole setup. this can only be achieved if your room temps stay around 75F-80F and do not swing much. otherwise a heater is recommended.


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## 6 man reef (Jan 7, 2012)

One of the most important aspects of these Nano reef tanks is the salinity fluctuations. Do you have an auto top off mechanism? It could easily be the cause of much of your livestock losses. An arm type specific gravity device is very unreliable. You should have a salinity refractometer to verify the salinity. Evaporation from the tank increases the salinity since the salt does not evaporate. The concentration increases until the R.O. top off water is added and re-dilutes the salinity. Invertebrates like snails and shrimp are more susceptible to these fluctuations. Fish can tolerate more fluctuations without death but it does stress them and coulkd lead to trouble.


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

I top off every morning with R.O


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## 6 man reef (Jan 7, 2012)

How much do you have to add daily?


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## chumlee (Nov 4, 2010)

Not too much. Very little, in fact.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i'm assuming you have a little top off line marked on the tank to keep track?


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

6 man reef said:


> One of the most important aspects of these Nano reef tanks is the salinity fluctuations. Do you have an auto top off mechanism? It could easily be the cause of much of your livestock losses. An arm type specific gravity device is very unreliable. You should have a salinity refractometer to verify the salinity. Evaporation from the tank increases the salinity since the salt does not evaporate. The concentration increases until the R.O. top off water is added and re-dilutes the salinity. Invertebrates like snails and shrimp are more susceptible to these fluctuations. Fish can tolerate more fluctuations without death but it does stress them and coulkd lead to trouble.


+1 on the refractometer. IMO it's the only tool that I find is really required for a reef tank.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i recommend a refracto and i personally use one myself, but many have done well by just using a hydrometer, and would put up a pricing argument for not upgrading. refracto is the way to go once you can afford one. they are roughly $50 for a decent one, sometimes less. vital tool to acquire at some point while reefing. I got mine from the start since money was not the biggest issue.


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## orchidman (Dec 15, 2010)

thats what im saving up for, a refractometer  cant afford it yet though!


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

While my two planted tanks are nowhere near where I would like them to be, this thread has motivated me to set up my empty picotope as my first reef attempt. I realize it is not recommended to go with such a small tank right out of the gate, but its really a no lose situation. I've got about 15 pounds of purple dry "dead" rock someone gave me in trade for a fish a year or so ago. Guess its time to cure it! Gotta get a refractometer, live sand, and a heater and I'm set! Already got an ac50 collecting dust.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

i started my SW as a picotope as well. it can be done, just do plenty of research to minimize problems and losses.


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

Newman said:


> weekly water changes are very useful. i believe they keep water fresher and as gus said, it replenishes traces. if you get clams or many SPS in a small tank, you most likely will need to dose eventually. I do it every other day in my pico. i think it really helps keep things in good health. I do about 2 gallons of a WC weekly, but since my tank is small (3gals) its easy to change out most of the water at once. for a larger tank i recommend about a gallon a week to not be much of a hassle.
> 
> On the notion of adding things to the tank. After its cycled and stable for a while, regardless of the method used, I think fish or shrimp could be added about 2 to 4 weeks after the CUC is added. the CUC is usually added roughly 2 weeks after a cycle has been completed.
> 
> And also the simplest setup is just a tank, light, live rock, and powerhead. that's only two plugs for the whole setup. this can only be achieved if your room temps stay around 75F-80F and do not swing much. otherwise a heater is recommended.


I'm wanting to do my pico reef for literally as little startup cost as possible. My schedule is such, that I don't have a lot of money to invest at the moment, but what I do have is time and some basics laying around. I'd like to spend less than $50 to get started (to ready the tank for fish and corals). 

One of the benefits of such a small tank, is that the cost of a CUC is low, as well as the amount of coral needed to stock the tank when compared to a large tank. I'll be in school all semester this spring, barely making enough to keep gas in the truck and bills paid. I won't be able to afford any corals or fish until this summer when I work more. So I figured taking the next 3 months to just let the tank run and cycle the rock would be good to do.

I currently have an empty picotope and an unused aquaclear 30, as well as two-5 pound pieces of dry, formerly live rock (still purple). I will probably break them into smaller pieces for my purposes, and just see if I can purchase a tiny piece of actual live rock from the store to seed it.

Do the bags of water filled live sand from the big box stores actually have any benefit, or is that likely dead sand in stagnant water? I was just going to buy a small 5 pound bag of live aragonite from petsmart or petco, dump it in, mix up some saltwater, toss in the rock, heater, water, and turn on the empty AC30 just for some water movement. 

When cycling, did any of you add a cocktail shrimp to the tank to supply food for the cycle, or is there enough matter on the rock to complete the cycle? Did you need light to complete the cycle? The tank will be placed on my office desk which is right next to a window, so if possible I'll just have the blinds positioned to where it'll get indirect sunlight daily instead of wasting bulb life. 

Sorry for the wall of text. I don't intend at all to hijack the thread, just been reading alot of info for the past several months on this, and am ready to start cycling the tank, but not ready to post noob questions on an actual reef forum. Moreso wanting confirmation that I'm on the right track from planted tank people who are also versed in reef keeping.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

Since you have some the the equipment already, the cost will be lower.
You have the tank(which can only support one fish or two tiny gobies maximum), the HOB filter, and most rock needed to start. I will mark necessary things as NEEDED below. other things are recommended but the tank can run w/o them.

You still need these things:
small piece of live rock from LFS (NEEDED)
Live or regular aragonite sand
Hydrometer, or refractometer
Distilled water (1 gallon jugs will do)(NEEDED)
Salt Mix (NEEDED)
25W-50W Heater
Thermometer
Lamp (which you dont want yet)
SW test Kit (at least ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates, and pH)


Cycling does not have to have shrimp, but you can add a small pinch of fish food or something similar to start it. the small live rock piece from the LFS will have the bacteria you need to culture throughout your live rock. a few months of just letting it sit there sounds like a decent plan. you may want to add a snail in there at some point though if you get algae and to keep the tank cycled.

of course the most important thing, besides keeping temperature steady around 78F (if your office is unheated) is to keep salinity constant. you either need to top off the tank every day or get an ATO system. which can be expensive unless you decide to DIY.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Any updates on this gorgeous tank?


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## cawolf86 (Dec 31, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> Any updates on this gorgeous tank?


agree


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