Randy's 12G Fluval Edge Build

[RandyC]

Hi All! Thought I'd start up my tank journal and share it with all of you. I would have started this from the get go, but I just joined BAR a few weeks ago. This is my first SW tank and first tank in a long while 20+ years if you count managing my parents' FW tank as mine.

Probably against most people's advice, I decided to go with the 12G Fluval Edge because I really like the clean look of it. It has a lot going against it - small 5" x 7" access hole for maintenance, potential issues with oxygen exchange, limited options for filtration/overflow/sump without significant modification (losing the clean look), and lighting issues. But heck, I like a challenge.

Tank Started: May 3, 2016
Tank Cycle Time: 2 weeks

Equipment List

• 2 Hydor Koralia Nano 240
• 1 Hydor Smart Wave Circulation Pump Controller
• 1 Colbalt Aquatics Neo-Therm 75-Watt
• 1 Ultrabrite 36-Watt Full Spectrum Cree LED light
• 1 Fluval Aqua Clear 30 (Used for chaeto fuge & 3 Chemipure blue nano bags)
• 1 hacked up 3W 21-LED strip light from original Fluval Edge light for chaeto

Water/Salt/Aquascape

• BRS 6 Stage Universal Plus RO/DI System
• 14-15 lbs of Indonesian live rock from Aquarium Concepts
• 11-12 lbs of CaribSea Dry Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand
• Instant Ocean Reef Crystals

FTS after LR addition on May 8, 2016.

Tank as of Aug 29, 2016

Video of tank

Livestock

• 2 Ocellaris clown (Neptune Aquatics)
• 2 Scarlett skunk cleaner shrimp - bullies when it comes to food if you ask me (Aquatic Collection)

Cleanup Crew

• 3 Banded trochus snails (Neptune Aquatics) - I think there are babies too, counted 7 so far - too small at the moment to be sure though
• 3 Cerith snails (Neptune Aquatics)
• 2 Astera snails (Aqautic Collection)
• 3 Nassarius snails (Aqautic Collection)
• 1 Blue tuxedo urchin (Aqautic Collection)

Coral (I have an admitted addiction issue with euphyllia)

• Aussie gold torch (Aquatic Collection)
• Dark purple with yellow tipped torch (Aquatic Collection)
• Metallic green torch (Neptune Aquatics)
• Dark green with dark purple tipped hammer (Aquatic Collection)
• Gold hammer (California Reef)
• Green tipped hammer (California Reef)
• Green with light purple tipped frogspawn (Neptune Aquatics)
• Duncan bushy-type (Neptune Aquatics)
• Metallic green candy cane (frag swap)
• Rasta zoa (frag swap)
• Eagle eye zoa (frag swap)
• Vamp in drag zoa (frag swap)
• Green mushroom (Neptune Aquatics)
• Light blue favia (Neptune Aquatics)
• Mystic sunset montipora (Neptune Aquatics)
• Brown poseidon montipora (frag swap)

(except for the frag swap coral, most, if not all, have been in the tank for at least 6 weeks)

Tank Params

• Temp: 78F
• Salinity: 1.024
• pH: 8.0-8.1
• NH3: 0
• NO2: 0
• NO3: 0
• PO3: 0
• Ca: 480-500 (a little high, but it's always been like this)
• Alk: 8 dKH
• Mg: 1480-1500

(I do have some algae growing, so I'm assuming nutrients are getting sucked up before I can get a measurement)

Food

• New Life Spectrum (0.5mm & 1mm) pellets
• BRS Reef Chili
• San Francisco Bay Mysis Shrimp

Maintenance

• Weekly 15-20% water change
• Every other week: suction substrate / turkey baste live rock

Livestock Loses
So far, I've have been one lucky dude. The death count is at one - the first rasta zoas I got after the tank cycled died due to zoa pox (tried furan-2 dip, but that failed). This occurred about 6 weeks after the tank was started. I swore off zoas until the frag swap came up and I picked up all the zoas I have living in the tank now.

Lessons Learned so far

• Absolutely, epoxy, super glue or use acrylic rods to secure aquascape in this tank. You WILL knock things over eventually because of the small opening. I finally learned my lesson after the second rock formation collapse.
• Don't put too much live rock in this tank and use something more porous (e.g. pukani) so you can use less rock. While I haven't lost my love of the look of this tank, it is a PITA to maneuver in sometimes because I have too much rock in there. Or if you have a need for more rock, stack up towards the back of tank.
• Diligent maintenance is required especially in a fully stocked nano/pico. I fully fear a system crash if I don't do a weekly water change (sometimes twice a week).
• Lighting and flow matter - yes, I read this. and then read it again. but it's an entirely different thing to experience it.
• If you're not dosing, at least a weekly water change is an absolute must in a fully stocked reef tank. This tank sucks up the Alk like no other.
• Pointing circulation pumps AT the small opening (surface) is a requirement for this tank to avoid pH swings in a fully stocked tank. The HOB was sufficient when there wasn't much in the tank, but as load increased, I saw the pH swing wider. Without it, I was seeing swings to 7.6-8.1. With it pointing at the opening, I pretty much stay in the 8.0-8.1 range.
• While I haven't had any huge losses or crashes thus far, in retrospect I should have stocked slower. Who knows, this can still come and bite my behind.
• I need a less heavy hand when it comes to food. While I haven't had a crazy outbreak, I have more algae than I'd prefer.
• the verdict is still out on the chaeto fuge....I've only had it in the tank for about 2 weeks.
• If I did it again, I would probably build my own DIY LED into the Edge tank hood. While the Ultrabrite light I have functions well, there are some design differences I would prefer.
• And the most important lesson: I need a bigger tank. I like and stocked too much coral in this tank I think. I'm planning on upgrading to a Red Sea Reefer 250 soon. It remains to be seen if this tank will survive that upgrade.

 

[Flagg37]

Looks like you've got everything handled. The tank looks great. As long as you understand the difficulties with the tank you can overcome them. It just may take more effort.

 

[Wyatt Naschke]

Cool work, thank you for the information.

 

[RandyC]

Update on the tank. Had a small outbreak of green cyano on the substrate last week. Trying to feed less and cut back on the lights a tad this week and it looks like that is working. Or maybe it's the fuge with chaeto as I definitely have growth there, maybe 50% more now than 2 weeks ago.

Added a new addition: Indo Gold Torch (with teal tips) from Aquatic Collection.

Excited that the zoas I got from the frag swap are not dying like my first attempt with rastas 6 months ago and they're actually growing! Already have 2 new heads and 1 bud on the Vamp in Drag zoa and on the rasta 1 new polyp and 2 buds forming. Thanks yippee & denzil!

But more importantly, I committed to a Red Sea Reefer 250! I'll be starting a new tank journal on this beast in a short while as parts have already been coming in.

 

[Flagg37]

Well that's exciting.

 

[rygh]

Looking forward to the RSR250 build!

For Cyano, check those phosphates.