My 20 long nano bare bottom

[Bagabaga]

It's official! Two days on a fish less cycle using a raw shrimp and a little neck clam as the starter.

It's an aqueon 20 long drilled for herbie overflow 1" pvc (still in the market for a gate valve) draining into an acrylic sump holding about 8 gallons and a eshopps 120 skimmer, a tlf reactor with nothing in it. A Jebao dct-8000 running at full pace returning through 3/4 flex and a diy dual nozzle pvc return manifold. He bottom is a HDPE cutting board cut to fit (sorta) rock is a few pieces I nuked from another reefer locally and liked the shapes. A current 250w metal halide t5 actinic combo hanging from the shelf above.

Using Kent marine reef salt and my ato is gravity fed from a shelf above the tank.

Tank has a high volume of flow and isn't directed at any rocks specifically but the walls themselves.

 

[ReefWreak]

Holy bright light! I love me some 250w halides, but good luck keeping the tank cool.

Also I would not lose sight of that shrimp and clam, as once you start registering some ammonia you'll want to remove them. If you don't, you'll have ammonia for months, and ultimately it'll fuel significant algae growth. I always recommend using a tiny bit of shrimp finely blended so that it spreads around and is easily broken down, and isn't much more biomass than the tank needs to get the basic cycle going.

 

[Bagabaga]

Sounds good I'll remove them when the ammonia starts up. Yeah the light isn't ideal I was hoping to do a quad t5 light over it but I got this in a trade and thought I'd give it a try the halides are only on for a few hours to experiment and I've got it about 12" above the tank. I'm still in pursuit of a t5 ho light for it. I'd like to try led again but I fear I fried my last tank with them and this tank I want to do ulns sps.

 

[Bagabaga]

Registered ammonia and removed the clam and shrimp. Excited to be reefing again!

 

[Bagabaga]

No real update yet. Been getting some watery skim mate when the water level changes a bit. Tested and got flat nothing on the phosphates which I'm stoked about as they aren't leeching from the rock after the nuking. Water column had a bacterial bloom but that cleared up in a couple days. Everything is running fine but the bath tub resurfacing in my apartment was a pain. Took them a week to come and finalize the resurfacing and I'm hoping the skimmer isn't pulling anything from that situation out of the water. I covered the tank with a sheet.
I'm also considering getting a real ato instead of my gravity feed. I lost sleep the first night thinking the shelf would fall off the wall and destroy all my work and money. So I took it down and stacked two buckets and it gravity fed that way. I'll keep an eye out on my local Denver ads for an ato.

 

[PhilsAquatics]

looks sweet I'm excited for you !!! I love 20 longs I think the light looks great as long as you arent killing coral or animals theres no wrong or wright way, what works for every one else wont always work for you and vice versa stay positive and keep it up...

 

[Bagabaga]

Added my fish! I got a neon dottyback at a local store and it was a surrender from another reefer because it was too aggressive. He will be my only addition to the tank. I also got a couple peppermint shrimp that may be holding eggs. That kind of worries me but could end up being free fish food.

 

[Bagabaga]

New update, the fish is SUPER aggressive. Which is fine he's by himself and will remain that way. One of the shrimp died and the other got chased into my overflow and seems to retreat from the fish into there and has been alive since. I move him to the display but he always winds up back in the overflow. I added a float valve to my Gravity ato and am super excited about it. Found a cool filter floss idea online I'm going to try my hand at instead of socks.

Got my first coral frags from a fellow reefer that's moving this month. Also got a 150 gallon tall from him as well. Most of the frags are doing well. I got some frogspawn and an unidentified sps, a purple birds nest (not opening its polyps) a crimson red mushroom and a couple soft corals to try out. I also have some film algae starting to show up on my cutting board and glass. Nutrients test super low and I've only fed the fish a few times maybe I'll cut back on feedings.

 

[GaG8tor]

Love a 20L. That was my first tank when I got into the hobby. Definitely gonna do another one some day. I just got back into it about a week ago. I see you are in Denver. Any clubs or groups around here? I just moved here in September and looking to meet some folks.

 

[scags101]

This is interesting as I too have just recently started a 20g nano build but im using no skimmer yet. with a 3g HOB refuge. So far this is really fun as my other builds 75g and 55g were big and required a lot of maintenance.

I'll get the camera out here soon and do some real pics.

20g nano

 

[Bagabaga]

That looks great! I hope mine fills out quickly.

As far as clubs I've heard of darc and masc but I don't belong to either. It takes me some time to get comfortable with people so I may join one eventually but I shy away from showing my work on tanks. I've got experience but not the voice to tell it. Check those clubs out and welcome to Denver.

If you search reef central there are some good posts about the local reef shops and how they rate. I haven't been to them all so I can only speak on a few.

 

[ARVERLY]

Nice!! My 20G long is also barebottom, skimmerless, and sumpless!

 

[Bagabaga]

Oh man those are some nice corals. Did you go straight on the glass? I have a cutting board under my rocks. Wish I could afford an mp10 would help with my flow. Great looking sps! What light do you use?

 

[GaG8tor]

That looks great! I hope mine fills out quickly.

As far as clubs I've heard of darc and masc but I don't belong to either. It takes me some time to get comfortable with people so I may join one eventually but I shy away from showing my work on tanks. I've got experience but not the voice to tell it. Check those clubs out and welcome to Denver.

If you search reef central there are some good posts about the local reef shops and how they rate. I haven't been to them all so I can only speak on a few.

Been to a couple of shops here. Verdict is still out on one of them. The other I liked it's just too far away.

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[Bagabaga]

Here's a link to some local shop reviews.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2121174

Only one I avoid is todd's their tanks were full of ich last week. And the owners were doing fireball shots behind he counter during business hours.

I like keys but I was there during closing and want to go back desperately to check out their coral frag deals.

 

[GaG8tor]

Thanks for the link. Been to Todd's a few times. Neptune's was really nice. I went over there a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Bagabaga]

So an update I went to neptunes and it was nice but a little pricey for the selection. Then shortly following went to aquatic art inc. and found great prices on sps corals and got a purple bonsai frag for my tank. The acro is recovering great and all my other corals are starting to divide and grow out. I do need to give my friend the softies from the tank before I really get started on sps colonies. The only loss so far is the birds nest frag I got from another reefer and it wasn't doing too well in his tank (lack of calcium and alk supplementation) it was thin and weak.

Totally psyched to get the rest of my sps going! Going to try out mind blowing corals next to see what they have but I hate no my coral shop will be aquatic art.

Any time you want to meet up and go to a store I'm game to plan it out gag8tor! Just pm me!

 

[Bagabaga]

Another coral pic

 

[GaG8tor]

Been to Neptune's as well. I really like the fact that they have never tried to sell me anything I didn't need. I'd like to get together sometime and go on a store tour. Where are you located?

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[GaG8tor]

Also went to Keys. Off of Santa Fe? Got a sweet leather, xenia piece from them.

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