Help converting FOWLR to nano reef

[eskymick]

I'm beginning a process of converting my FOWL 35gallon AGA hex to a mini-reef system. I'll summarize my plans and then plead for your advice, comments and/or criticisms.

Current Specs:

35 gallon AGA Hex (set up for 6 years as FOWLR)
2-3" crushed coral bed
Fluval 303 canister filter (running empty)
Two oversized powerheads (getting more than 20x turnover/hour)
50# live rock and base rock (all but 3# have been in the tank for 6 years)
1 - 55 watt Power Compact
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ph 8.1
Temp 81 degrees
SG 1.025
This tank has NEVER been medicated.


Livestock:

1 - Ocellaris clown 2.5" (3 years in tank)
8 - Misc snails
2 - Scarlet hermit crabs
I feed very lightly (flake food). The clown gets one flake at a time .. no uneaten food ever reaches the bottom. He's so tame he eats out of my fingers.

Here is my plan for conversion to a mini-reef:

1. Upgrade the lighting to a 250 watt 14kMH pendant.
2. Leave the power heads and Fluval in place.
3. In the Fluval I will run only carbon (replacing ever other week)
4. Do weekly 20% water changes.
5. Keep fish livestock to a minimum. I may add another (small) Ocellaris and perhaps a blenny or goby.
6. I want to stay away from mushrooms and most leathers, and instread have a few LPS specimins (mid tank) and a few SPS "show" pieces (at the top).

Here are a couple of pics of my LR pile:

As you can see, the base rock is covered in a moss-like growth of dark green algea. It is not unattractive or even invasive, and it has been this way for years. The undersides of the base rocks are populated with calcerous, red tube feather dusters (see pic above).

My number one question. Is this kind of algea a problem? Will it decline with improved lighting? Should I leave it? Should I start over?

I ask your advice and comments on my plans. You are the experts.

Thanks in advance ..

P.S. I'm sticking with the Fluval and carbon for the time being. I want to see if light feeding, regular water changes and low population will work at keeping nitrates at zero. Plan B is to add a skimmer if the cannister method doesn't work out.
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[mr pink floyd]

might want to cook rocks, by putting them i na tub wit ha heater and no lgiht gettign it and do some water changes, it will get all the junk off them hopefully, search around, i dont know much about it.

get more light, another 5 should be good for softies, or halides if yo uwant sps

use sand not cc too, cc is a detrius trap, sand helps break down nitrat es.

 

[d1hotblaze]

try not to run carbon in the canister ...exports too much nutrients switch to a sump if you have room

 

[CyanoETR]

Ive got a 35 gallon reef HEX.. PM me if u have any questions!

 

[Brandon's Reef]

[welcome]
If you keep your fish to a minimum and do water changes you will not need a protien skimmer but I do agree that you want to do sand and not cc.

 

[mr pink floyd]

post a thread on your progress, this sounds liek it will be cool!

 

[eskymick]

A short update:

I've added another half-dozen small snails. All are doing well.

The water parameters remain excellent. I check them with Salifert kits at home, and double check by bringing a sample to my LFS. Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrates are all undetectable.

To be on the "safe" side in feeding, I've placed the powerheads (but not the Fluval canister) on a seperate power strip so that I can turn them all off at feeding time. This ensures that food is not swept under the rock work before it is consumed.

One advantage to a 35 hex is it's height. Food remains in the water column a little longer, making it easier for the fish to eat it all before it can hit bottom. And, once I get my MH lighting, it'll make it easy to place LPS, SRS and softies at the appropriate distance from the light source.

On the down side, it's difficult to find HOB equipment to fit. I've considered a HOB macroalgae refugium, but the smalled one I can find (CPR 12") is, from what I can tell, about a half inch too wide to hang over the side of the hex. Does anyone know of another brand that might fit?

Since this tank was FOWLR for six years, I never paid much attention to what kinds of "critters" might still be crawling around in there. As of late, I've looked with a magnifying glass and flashlight after dark. To my surprise, I find the rock crawling with bristleworms and I find more and more of the calcerous, red feathers.

One thing I don't see, are the tiny copepods that one normally sees crawling on the inside of the glass. Could it be that they live in the moss-like algae I have on my base rock? Or could it be that I need to re-populate them?

Your help and comments are always appreciated ..