My first reef-Biocube 14

[Andyjs]

In August, I started my first reef tank (first SW tank at all actually) after I found a BC14 at a yard sale for $20.
Here are some pictures from the first few months:
Leak test with some base rock that came with the tank

First liverock (and some mangrove propagules that I germinated and moved to my brackish tank)

Orange palys that came in on a piece of LR

More LR and first fish-a firefish (later lost due to strange injury)

Last week (notice the lack of brown algae as the tank has stabilized). A few weeks ago, I added a Hydor nano "wave maker" to the outflow of the pump so that it creates a more random current pattern in the tank

Tonight, I finally found the last pieces of liverock to complete the rock scape the way I wanted it.

Current stocking is:
Yellow-tail blue damsel
New firefish
Peppermint shrimp
9 or 10 margarita and black turbo snails
3 nassarius snails
4 red leg and 2 zebra hermits
2 mini-maxi carpet anemones
orange palythoas
3 colors of zoas
and 2 colors of mushrooms

considering a third fish of some sort and definitely adding more soft corals and thinking about some LPS

 

[NativeTrout]

How did you get the top piece of rock to stay like that?

 

[Andyjs]

How did you get the top piece of rock to stay like that?

That very top level is actually 3 pieces. The large far right piece is part of the column of interlocking pieces (held together with a little epoxy) that goes all the way to the bottom and the overhang piece is two smaller pieces epoxied together on the back side and then zip-tied to a couple small holes drilled in the back wall.

 

[Usul0]

How old is the tank and just a fyi the long skirt on the palys and rock algae is a tell tale sign of too low of flow.

 

[cdrewferd]

Nice tank. I'd consider adding a Korlia Nano powerhead in there to get a little more flow going.

 

[Andyjs]

How old is the tank and just a fyi the long skirt on the palys and rock algae is a tell tale sign of too low of flow.

It's been running since August and yeah, it probably could use a little more flow. I was having a lot of trouble with red slime in the bottom right corner from the low flow, but it's been gone for a while.