7 gal Nano Reef

[santanu]

Hello everyone,this is my first try on a saltwater tank which i wanted to start from ages,but never got the chance to do one earlier.And the best part is it was on my BIRTHDAY that it all happened 11th march,I have read many books on saltwater aquarium probably the same one that you have read,but the truth is you have to do it down to learn better,I would really love some pointer from my fellow aquarist,even if they sound silly.Anyways lets cut the chase and get to the point,here are some of the spec for my tank.



Tank Dimeson =12 L* 12 W * 11H
Filter Hang on back=Dolphin h500 ,5 kg live rock
Lighting=Bajaj ECOLUX 36W,6500k,and blue t5 light 48w, 4 hours daily
Water movement=2x 800l pH sobo power head 24/7,12 hours each
substrate=bare bottom tank
Salt=Red Sea Coral pro
SG=1.026
Water=Bisleri
Water change=1.5 liter every week


Day 1,

I was very confused where to start,i called up one of my fellow aquarist who donated the rocks,going there to pick up the rock was easy but coming back with the LR(Live Rock) was a different story,carrying the LR felt like carrying a time bomb,had to change many types of transportation,apart from the fear in my of getting caught,but overall all went good.At home i had no clue how to mix the salt,i started with a twenty liter bisleri bottle and poured in a container,without any measuring cup in hand i cut off the bottom of a bottle and started pouring in the salt and started the power head to do the mix,after 5 minutes i checked it with the hydrometer,it shot up to 1.028 too high,i added fresh water and gradually i was able to get it to 1.026,which is quiet all right. the very same day i added the live rock in the water and turn on the power head,i had one power head at that point and no filter.Here are a few pic of day 1




Note=i got the rock with hair algae and Coraline algae

With light on




Any yes my Birthday cake





Day 2

I went to the lfs(local fish store) to fetch a second power head,by now the water has mostly cleared up



Later that day i also learned that i had aiptasia(Glass Anemone)



A few close up





day 5

I had to do an early water change because i knew there are a lot of die off,and also decide to get a Hang on Back filter(HOB)






Now for the filter i wanted to do some modification(mod),so i decide to add a piece of sponge,which i had to remove later because the water was not able to pass through the sponge








Current pic of the tank
with the the HOB



Tools of the trade





Just today early morning i discovered this which looked like a snail but i am not sure,if anyone can tell me what this is if its is a pest or could be a pet will be really helpful.In my opinion it may be a limpet snail







it went away when i turned on the lights.

Hi guys, just learned that my rocks had a lot of pest,which will really do harm in the long run so i decided to say goodbye once in for all,i meant the pest,not the marine tank ,i am getting more confident now,I read in one of the articles that you can bleach your live rock and make them free of pest and all the rest of the good stuff,i decided to go for it,so here are a few pic

Rocks out of the tank cleaned and ready for a nice bleach wash



one at a time,Goodbye pest



Almost done




I had a couple of dead rocks as well which i thought will also be a nice add on






Lesson i learned is no matter where you get your live rocks from,make sure what you are getting,anyways once the LR is cleaned and dandy,i will add a small piece of LR which will jump start the cycle.



Hello,Guys

just an update,since all my my LR was bleached so a fellow hobbyist decided to donate a piece of live rock,until the old LR was cleared off of pest just a few pic of the update process.



Also got my self a Damsel just to speed up the cycling process









And guys guess what ,i got hold of a 1 FEET ACTINIC TUBE in a shop in Lajpat nagar only 55 Rs,i will give the details later for now enjoy this pic



By the way i was trying some aqua scape on my own,just a pic of the one i think i would go with,Let me know what you guys think,suggestions always welcome.




Hello Guys,just got back from a days trip from home town,recently acquired a few coral frags from a fellow aquarist a Zoa Polyp and two piece of red Mushroom,check it out,the blue actinic really works,but the camera unjustified the quality of the real thing,check this out.






Under Actinic









Just an Update did a aquascape,tell me guys what do u think

[SCORPIO]

Where are the photographs?

[santanu]

Where are the photographs?

The pic are there as an attachment,i hope it is viewable.if you are not able to view them kindly pm me.

[SCORPIO]

Remove HOB filter and scrub all the algae. It is very difficult to maintain nano tanks so also keep an eye on water parameters.

[santanu]

Remove HOB filter and scrub all the algae. It is very difficult to maintain nano tanks so also keep an eye on water parameters.

Keeping the hair algae for future clean up crew,as for the hair algae its decreasing from the day i bought,so that is a good sign,for now i will let the hair algae stay,i use my magnet scraper for the glass only,and the good news is i see more Coraline algae growth,water parameters are the main concern,but with the weekly maintenance,things should be just fine.

[aamir]

Looks good but workmanship of your aquarium (means use of sillicon)is really bad. can't stop myself from saying this.

[santanu]

Looks good but workmanship of your aquarium (means use of sillicon)is really bad. can't stop myself from saying this.

True,had a fear of having a leak,so dumped in as much as silicone as i can

[Romi]

@Amir

I must say, your latest tank was really well made Amir. I was surprized to see it. Not to say your older larger tank was bad, but this one was exceptional, the workmanship (just the word) was eye-catching. You must make a thread next time u make a tank. I am sure Zico will be glad to take tips ... And some older hobbyists too, hehe.

[maaz]

nice love to see more..

[sushant]

tank looks much improved since the live rack was introduce. how abt adding some substrate (argonite or crushed coral ?????, can't say much as my knowledge and experience with marine tank is almost zero )