Esper's Cheap Skimmerless SPS Tank

[Esper]

Hi folks!

I've upgraded from my 10g to a 20 Long. I've always loved this size and figured it was a good time.

In my previous tank, I wanted to to see if I could be successful with as little equipment as possible. I've always relied on a lot of technology to support a reef, and I wanted to try a more natural approach. It was a weird tank, I admit, but I learned a ton.

With this tank, I wanted to step up my game. No more experiments. Just use what I've learned to have a great tank. It's been up since July.

I wanted to focus mostly on Acropora. The two exceptions are a pink birds nest (I've always liked them) and a brain coral that I've had for years.

The tank is set up as a room divider, with viewing access from 3 sides. There are no fish, just 3 sexy shrimp and various crabs and snails.

 

[Esper]

Tank Setup and Upkeep

Tank Setup and Upkeep

The tank is a standard 20g long.

Lights: 4x24w T5. Custom enclosure with ATI ballasts and ATI bulbs.
Bulbs: 3x ATI Coral Plus, 1x ATI Actinic
Flow: Hydor Evo 850, random brand hang-on-the back filter
Heater: Eheim 75w
Dosing: Bulk Reef Supply 2-part (dosed by hand, for now)
Filtration: Occasionally I put some Bulk Reef Supply premium ROX 0.8 carbon in the HOB filter, but I don't leave it in all the time. The corals seem to look happier with only occasional use to clarify the water.

I change about 25% of the water weekly, and at 50-80% of the water monthly or bimonthly. Aggressive water changes remove nutrient build up and replenish trace elements.

My tank uses up alkalinity at a rate of 1.0 dkh to 1.5 dkh per day. I started with Kalkwasser, but it was not enough to keep up with demand. Calcium drops about 10ppm per day.

I don't really have any nuisance algae, but aptaisia are everywhere. I've tried almost every method of removal, but they always come back. The latest attempt is to use berghia nudibranchs. We'll see.

The tank is bare bottom for many reasons. As a scientist, I am trained to either control extraneous variability, or remove it. Sandbeds are a huge source of extraneous variability. It blows around everywhere, it gets dirty, and it is hard to tell if it is filtering anything, or just becoming a giant nutrient time-bomb. I had a piece of inert starboard (also called HDPE) cut to size and placed that on the bottom.

Notice that there is no skimmer. There's no fish, so why bother? This way, more food stays in the water column. There's no skimmer noise, there's nothing to break, and my power bill is less. Win win win. More money for corals. :spin1:

 

[Esper]

Growth Shots

Growth Shots

I'm getting great growth now, but only after much agonizing and suffering.

Just about every piece of equipment had left over from previous tanks decided to break, and had to be replaced. I kept thinking "I'm going to lose it all!" but somehow, everything has survived. So far. I'm hesitant to even write this post, in fear that I will somehow jinx myself. Here goes.

September 2nd, 2016

September 28th, 2016

After being moved too close to the lights, it bleached. It went from green to white within hours. I moved it down to the bottom of the tank, but the color has yet to return.

December 8th, 2016

 

[Esper]

More Growth Shots

More Growth Shots

This started as a $10 brown frag, and has stayed brown. The new growth is more colorful, though.

Sorry, I can't find a better "before" picture. It has completely encrusted over the frag plug and is starting to grow onto the starboard.

September 2nd, 2016:

December 8, 2016:

 

[Esper]

Birdsnest Growth

Birdsnest Growth

September 2nd:

September 28th:

December 8th:

 

[Esper]

Weird Acropora

Weird Acropora

This coral was red, purple and green in the store under LEDs. In my tank, under ATI Coral Plus bulbs, it looks brown. :mad2:

I can't find a "before" picture, but the new growth on this coral is all around the base. It has encrusted down the rock, and the new branching growth looks white and blue.

December 8th, 2016:

 

[Esper]

Brain Coral:

Funny-looking crab:

 

[Esper]

Sorry for the terrible iPhone pictures!!! I need to visit the photography forum for tips. Everything looks waaay too blue.

 

[Esper]

Fts

Fts

 

[Esper]

Okay, here are some better pictures! The only difference is the white balance. This more closely resembles what the eye actually sees.

 

[Esper]

 

[kalan850]

Nice system. How old is it? Looking forward to some updates. I'm working on a similar build.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Esper]

 

[Esper]

Nice system. How old is it? Looking forward to some updates. I'm working on a similar build.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Tank has been set up since July. The live rock, brain coral, and one of the SPS frags (the green acro that is now bleached) came from my old 10 gallon, which was running for 3 years.

 

[Esper]

The tank does get some sunlight from windows in the mornings. It makes the T5's seem dim.

 

[bishoptaner]

which bulbs are you running?

 

[Esper]

which bulbs are you running?

3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Actinic

 

[Esper]

WOOHOO COLOR OMG GTFO BBQ

I've had decent growth all along, but the acropora were still...brown. With nice colored tips, perhaps, but mostly tan and mostly brown.

It's been driving me crazy!

I wish I could say that my corals colored up due to me being a perfect reefkeeper. I wish I could say that all those weeks of diligent water tests, and parameter adjustments, and ultimate stability, finally paid off.

...Nope!

I just had to change salt mixes. :headwally:

I won't say what the new mix is, because I don't want people to think I'm shilling a certain brand. Sorry.

I will say that my previous salt was mixing up cloudy, and my corals did not react well to a water change. Nothing died, they just stopped growing, and lacked polyp extension.

Once I switched to the new salt, my corals colored up in TWO DAYS. The unknown brown frag went from this:

to this:

IN TWO DAYS!!! The growth occurred over time, but it was tan the whole time it grew. I'm sorry I don't have a picture from right before the color change.

 

[Esper]

The green slimer colored up A LOT as well.

Before:

After:

 

[Esper]

You may have noticed I have a lot of aptasia. I'm happy to report that the Burghia nudibranchs work really well! They are eating the aptasia all over the tank, and they are even breeding.

Cute little buggers: