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Steve's 20 Gallon Nano

SanFranSteve

SanFranSteve

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Hey folks!

I'm stoked to be a part of this community, along with building up my nano tank after years of hiatus.

My 20-gallon nano is just past 4 months old, and I'm glad to see steady progress. I'm hoping to foster a handful of corals to "dominate" the tank and eventually share the frags forward.

Equipment:
Simple 20-gallon tank - definitely a tall tank which makes for a funky lighting scenario
TAAM Rio HOB Skilter - stocked with floss, carbon, and mech/sponge
Live rock and sand
2 small powerheads (240dph + 263dph)
Hydor 50 watt heater
Current USA Orbit Marine IC LED Reef Aquarium Light

Fish:
2 Ocellaris clownfish (the happy couple)
1 Blue-green Chromis (the third wheel)
1 Cleaner wrasse (an unexpected addition but has turned out to be the happiest in the tank)

Corals:
1 Green favia frag (adopted and almost nursed back from bleaching)
1 GSP frag
1 Pulsing xenia
1 Nephthea
2 types of zoas

Inverts:
4 Trochus snails
4 Nassarius snails
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Cleaner Shrimp
4 Blue-legged hermits (still tiny)
2 Scarlet hermits
2 Bubble anemones (the clownfish couple's bedrooms)

I've been *mostly* diligent in monitoring parameters daily and keeping a log. Not really looking at specific swings during a day though.

Here's what I've had pretty consistently:
Temp: 78F
Salinity: 1.025
Nitrates: <0.2ppm
Ammonia: <0.1ppm
pH: 8.1
Alk: 10.9 dKH
Calcium: 490
Magnesium: 1290

I can whole-heartedly say that my biggest challenge thus far with this tank has been lighting. I find that LEDs are super intense, and with my extra tall tank, I'm really working in the dark ;) when it comes to determining what levels I should be keeping.

I'll be taking some pictures and uploading them soon!

-Steve
 
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welcome aboard. slow and steady my reefing buddy. dont rush into things. this hobby is all about patience. let things settle and see how it goes. also watch your nitrates. what is your po4 (phosphates) at?
 
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Nitrates should be a little higher probably. And yes check phosphate. Alk maybe a bit higher than I’d recommend. Keeping it that high on purpose?
 
jhuynh said:
welcome aboard. slow and steady my reefing buddy. dont rush into things. this hobby is all about patience. let things settle and see how it goes. also watch your nitrates. what is your po4 (phosphates) at?
Click to expand...

Thank you. And I always appreciate the urge for patience :)

My nitrates are almost always at zero, which some of my more experienced friends think is too low. My phosphates have been the hardest to keep in check lately, sitting right at .03ppm consistently. I switched my feeding which I’m hoping might help.


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Coral reefer said:
Nitrates should be a little higher probably. And yes check phosphate. Alk maybe a bit higher than I’d recommend. Keeping it that high on purpose?
Click to expand...

That’s what I’ve been told. I sure haven’t had an issue keeping waste low. My phosphates have been the issue at .03ppm consistently.

My alk isn’t high on purpose, but at least it’s been steady?


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SanFranSteve said:
Thanks, and great to hear.

I’ve just been using simple Instant Ocean with RO/DI.


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Click to expand...
I’ve never used it, but I read that Instant Ocean mixes around 10-11 dKH, is that accurate?

I was on RS Coral pro, but getting burnt tips due to low nutrients and high par. I’ve slowly made the switch to over RS blue bucket and now run 8ish pretty consistently
 
Mike Yasin said:
I’ve never used it, but I read that Instant Ocean mixes around 10-11 dKH, is that accurate?

I was on RS Coral pro, but getting burnt tips due to low nutrients and high par. I’ve slowly made the switch to over RS blue bucket and now run 8ish pretty consistently
Click to expand...

Dang you’re right - definitely runs high.


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Tank Update:

My 20-gallon tank has gone through some challenges and growth over the past 5 months, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

I cannot express how much joining BAR has changed this whole experience. Since becoming a member I’ve learned so much, met so many awesome people, and even made a few friends. I’m honestly blown away by the amount of kindness and generosity so many of you have shown me. I never thought this hobby could be something that makes me feel more connected to others. After a long tough year of social distancing, I’m infinitely grateful. Thank you!

Partial Tank Crash:
About a month ago I did a Sunday night water change and forgot to re-prime my filter pump. I woke up the next morning to a large bacterial bloom and almost all of my fish and inverts dead. With the filter off and a glass top, I assume the oxygen got used up fast and the first couple of deaths caused a downward spiral. I immediately did a large water change and thankfully the tank didn't fully crash. I was able to save the two anemones and all of the corals except for two frags (favia and duncan). I'm glad to say that the tank has stabilized and all of the survivors are growing again.

Aside from that major hiccup, I've had learned a few other valuable lessons:
  1. Intentional feeding. I had been broadcast-feeding a frozen "mysis reef blend" in the attempt to easily reach all of the fish, inverts, and corals. A portion of the food would always end up on the substrate and, of course, my nitrates and phosphates started to climb and soon came the cyano. After I pulled back the feeding and became more targeted, the issue turned around quickly. Now I feed brine shrimp daily for the fish and anems, reef roids every other day for the coral frags, and weekly dosing of phytoplankton.
  2. Higher lighting. For a while, I was struggling with figuring out my lighting levels and I could tell some corals weren't happy. At first, I thought my lights were too high but it turned out to be the opposite. So I dropped the light closer to the tank and spent the next week gradually increasing the intensity. My corals have been thriving ever since. Now I keep blue and white lights at 100%, and my red/greens at 25%.
  3. Better flow. My flow decreased a bunch after adding some more live rock. So I upgraded my powerheads and moved them around to create a stronger and more random flow. The corals and anems are much happier with the increased flow as well.
  4. Salt mix is important. Switching from Instant Ocean to Red Sea’s blue bucket made a massive difference in my water quality (thank you @Mike Yasin). My alkalinity is much more stable and the mix provides all of the magnesium and calcium needed to keep levels steady.

Updated rig and livestock:
20-gallon tall tank
TAAM Rio HOB Skilter - stocked with floss
Fluval C2 HOB Filter - stocked with floss, carbon, and sponge
Live rock and sand
Hydor 50 watt heater
Current USA Orbit Marine IC LOOP LED Light
2 Current USA eFlux LOOP Wave Pumps (660 GPH each)

Fish:
2 Ocellaris clownfish
1 bicolor blenny

Corals:
GSP
Pulsing xenia
Green nephthea
2 types of zoas - DBTC
2 types of paly zoas
Green toadstool - DBTC
2 chalices - DBTC
3 mushrooms
1 torch
2 gorgonians (1 photo/1 non-photo)
2 monti caps (1 red/1 purple) - DBTC


Inverts:
2 Trochus snails
4 Nassarius snails
1 Cleaner shrimp
1 Coral banded shrimp
4 Blue-legged hermits (still tiny)
2 Bubble-tip anemones (one rose/one rainbow)

Consistent Parameters:
Temp: 78F
Salinity: 1.025
Nitrates: 5-7ppm
Phosphates: .01-.03ppm
pH: 8.1
Alk: 8.3 dKH
Calcium: 500
Magnesium: 1290

I’m testing/logging parameters daily with the Salifert suite and do 20% water changes every Sunday. Upcoming plans are to pull out two pieces of the rocks and bind them together as an arch on the top.
 

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Coral reefer said:
Only trick is getting it mixed with the right amount of water. It dries quick tho which can be nice.
Click to expand...
Can it set in the tank or does everything have to be done externally? I’m planning to remove and cement two smaller pieces together, but I’d like to attach them atop a larger rock in the tank without having to remove it...if possible.
 
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