Tbred's Tank Profile

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Hobby History

When I was growing up we had a few freshwater fish tanks, but my interest in aquariums peeked while I was in college. My sister was trying to get rid of her tank. She had a single African Cichlid which she gifted to me. While at college one of my friends began a Nano-reef. I was in awe of its beauty. I watched his tank grow over the course of several months. I began doing my research and in 2012 I began my first 29 gallon tank.

Tank Specs

Dimensions: Standard 40 Breeder 36”x18”x18”
Lighting: 4x39w Coralife Aqualight T5
Biological Filtration: 50 lbs of live rock, shallow sand bed, and a refugium with chaeto and flame algae
Protein Skimmer: SCA-301 (Clone of Bubble Magnus NAC 3.5)
Heater: Tetra 200w
Circulation: 2 Koralia Nanos and Mag 5 return pump

Maintenance Routine

- Feed fish every other day alternating between LRS coral blend, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, and Flake food.
- Manually top-off water every other evening
- Preform a 20% water change every other week
- Clean glass daily
- Test parameters bimonthly

Parameters

Temperature: 79 F
SG: 1.026
pH: 7.8
NH: 0 ppm
NO: 0 ppm

Livestock

Fish
- Pair of Snowflake Clownfish
- Yellow Watchman Goby
- Long-nosed Hawkfish

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Inverts
- 2 Rock Anemones
- Coral Banded Shrimp (Fuge)
- 2 Porcelain Crabs
- 1 Hermit Crab (Fuge)
- Tons of Snails

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Coral

- Frogspawn
- Teal Candy Cane
- Red Mushrooms
- Green Star Polyps
- Pulsing Xenia
- Magician Palys
- Red/Blue Acan Lord

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History

Before I set up my first tank, I created a budget. I wanted to be able to maintain a reef and still eat. I spent a year researching what equipment I needed. I parted together a barebones system. I had a used 29 gallon tank, 2 Koralia Nanos, a heater, and a Coralife T5HO fixture. It was enough to run a nano reef without breaking the bank. As I progressed through the first year, I needed up buying a HOB skimmer and a reactor to fight a nasty green hair algae outbreak.

Near the one year mark, my wife and I got jobs in a new city and we had to move. I took the opportunity to upgrade to a 40 breeder. I wanted a sump to hide all of the equipment which had become an eyesore. I ended up building a custom stand for the tank. I got the tank set up and moved everything 3 hours without a loss.

After the move, I had a strange ammonia spike, which I can now attribute to having the liter box too close to the tank. I ended up losing a few soft corals and losing coloration in my LPS. I am still trying to recover from this ammonia spike.

Future Plans

Right now I am looking into a few things. The first one is an auto-top off unit. I am tried of having to add a few gallons of water every other day. The second item is a new fixture. I want to get some LEDs. I am currently leaning towards Reefbreeders Photon 24. The final item I am looking to upgrade are my pumps. Right now I seem to have a few dead spots in the tank and cyano algae is growing. I want to get a pair of MP10s.

Future livestock includes getting a cleaner shrimp and a flame angel. I want to get a few moer acan lords as well, but I am holding off until my other corals recover.

Advice for Fellow Hobbyists

Research! Before you begin a tank, think about what you want to have in it and what it is going to look like in a few years. My main regret is not getting a standard sized T5 fixture. I got a light that would fit my current tank. However when I needed to replace the bulbs, I learned that the only options I have are the Coralife bulbs which are poor quality.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my wife for allowing and tolerating me and my tank. Second I want to thank my college friend Matt who got me into this money pit. Third I would like to thank the online reefing community for providing information.

Photos

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