5.5g Simple Setup

[txg8gxp]

Well, I have finally started setting up my 5.5g tank after thinking about it for the last 3-4 months. I haven't made much progress and don't have much of a plan, but owell. I have had the equipment laying around waiting to be used. I have a 5.5g glass tank, aquaclear 20 HOB filter, zoo med light fixture with a 26w CFL bulb, left over dry sand from my old 57g and now dry rock that came out of my 57g. My main idea on this tank is a seaweed bed. After seeing how ulva grows out in my girlfriends tank I fell in love with it. I don't plan to buy anything (well thats the plan) for this tank so I will get the macro and any zoa's/paly I want out of my girls tank. It's not much to look at now, but hopefully with alittle time and can make something nice out of it.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/025.jpg?t=1325812378
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/023.jpg?t=1325812439

[Europhyllia]

So wonderful to see you back!

[350gt]

very cool little tank....

[CoryDude]

The prodigal son returns. Good to see you back Stephen. Can't wait to see the progress.

[randomfish]

i have a rio pico led you can have if you want it

[txg8gxp]

Rock work done. Now I just have to wait for the saltwater to finish mixing then I can let the cycle begin. Not sure what type of critters I will put in it. I know I'll keep a small clean up crew. A hermit or two a few cerith snails and a couple vibex nassarius. A fish would be nice, but 5.5g is small so I wouldn't have many options. I would like another shrimp but not sure what kind, it would need to be one that stays small or just get one tiny and when it gets bigger move it to my girlfriends tank. For a fish the only ones that come to mind that could last in such a small tank would be a red spotted or stripped goby, neon blue goby or a clown goby.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/027.jpg?t=1325815377
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/028.jpg?t=1325815444
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/029.jpg?t=1325815478

[txg8gxp]

i have a rio pico led you can have if you want it
Thanks for the offer, but I plan to keep ulva so I will need higher light. That is why I will be happy with the 26w cfl. I do love my leds, but I don't wanna spend the money of higher power fixture/diy for this build.

[Regric25]

Stephen let me know when you are ready and you can have a frag of anything in my tank!

[Zack]

That rock work looks sick!

[Big_Pun]

Welcome to MAAST..... Oh wait its Stephen lol. looking good! if you do zoas i have some you can have for sure ill get you a captain america Paly as welcome gift just let me know when your ready.

[txg8gxp]

water is in and tank is running. I will add my first test coral in a week or so if everything goes good. I like the look of the light fixture, but not a huge fan of the color of the cfl bulb. If it was going to be a macro only tank it would be perfect but I want coral. I think I will replace the cfl light fixture with a panorama pro RGB module. It should have plenty of power for a 5.5g and I like the color options. JAomgrNyWJshchgFFNw5-U&feature=player_embedded

[alton]

Yea I love the color, but the controller is junk. I am still waiting for the new one which is suppose to have a memory. At this time if you turn it off like with a timer, when it comes back on it is in flashing mode and has to be reset.

[txg8gxp]

Well thats not cool. Sound like they over looked a few key features huh... I still have more reading to do before I know for sure, at a price of almost $200 it would be hard to buy the RGB module.

Yea I love the color, but the controller is junk. I am still waiting for the new one which is suppose to have a memory. At this time if you turn it off like with a timer, when it comes back on it is in flashing mode and has to be reset.

[txg8gxp]

Well I got some microbactor 7 today to help seed the tank. I will be adding 1ml every day for the next week or two. Then I will add my first zoa frag and get a tiny CUC. Besides a few other corals I have made up my mind that this tank will be a pico zoa garden. I will also add a small palau nephea frag, the frag my girlfriend and I got is now huge, it's atleast 8"x10". I will also keep my eye out for a really nice 1-3 polyp acan frag aswell. The water is nice and clear and everything is looking good. My HOB filter only have factory aquaclear sponge and a purigen pouch in it. Once the tank has alot of coral in it i will probably run small amount of carbon aswell.

[Monica25]

Did u say u were gonna add your first test coral in a week or so? I just set my 14 biocube yesterday and is looking clear. Can I add something in a week? I been told to wait for a month. An someone advice me please.

Thanks,
monica

[Big_Pun]

Did u say u were gonna add your first test coral in a week or so? I just set my 14 biocube yesterday and is looking clear. Can I add something in a week? I been told to wait for a month. An someone advice me please.

Thanks,
monica

Stephen is using microbacter to help cycle his tank faster. but you can add coral as long as you test and everything stays stable.

[txg8gxp]

Like chiris said, i'm using microbactor to help speed up the cycle. I also believe adding a coral kinda soon isn't a huge deal if everything is testing right. Now adding a fish is harder. Coral isn't going to do much to dirty the water and lead to nitrates like fish would. I will start with a coral first, but I wont add a fish (if I get one) for about a month. After 2 weeks I will probably add a really small CUC and start to feed the tank to help increase my bacteria load. Hope that makes sense, it did in my head anyways :)

Did u say u were gonna add your first test coral in a week or so? I just set my 14 biocube yesterday and is looking clear. Can I add something in a week? I been told to wait for a month. An someone advice me please.

Thanks,
monica

[Monica25]

Yeah it made sense. So what coral would be the best to start with?

Thanks

[Regric25]

Something hardy and colorful. Maybe some zoas or palys..

[Monica25]

Thanks so if I set up Sunday night I an do this when?

[kkiel02]

I like the RGB fixture from what I have read online. Like said above, they are supposed to have a new controller out this month, we will see though. I wish aquaillumination would come out with new cree leds in different spectrums, more similar to the Mazarra fixture.

[Big_Pun]

Thanks so if I set up Sunday night I an do this when?

might want to start a help thread as to not hijack Stephens thread

[txg8gxp]

The RGB does look pretty cool, but I think it would be good as suppliment lighting not tank lighting. Seems like the lumens output would be kinda low, but maybe not. I agree if AI had other color options at their price point they would be sick. Even with that said I would really like the AI nano, but wow....$300 for the fixture and another $80 for a controller makes for a expensive light for a 5.5g tank, and way over kill but I could always lower the output and use it to upgrade to a 15-25g later on

I like the RGB fixture from what I have read online. Like said above, they are supposed to have a new controller out this month, we will see though. I wish aquaillumination would come out with new cree leds in different spectrums, more similar to the Mazarra fixture.

[Monica25]

Thanks I just did. Sorry

[Big_Pun]

hey Stephen what about one or two par38's ??

[txg8gxp]

That would get the job done, but I really like the option of dimming different color leds to change the color spectrum. Plus with you got to love the AI controller for dimmers for on/off and fading sunrise/sunset and I love setting then up for "high noon". The only thing I don't like about the AI after owning the SOL fixtures is the lack of red. For that reason I really like the looks of the ecotech fixtures. They are not cheap, but that was the same for AI before their price drop, and of course ecotech doesn't have a nano fixture. DIY is always a option but DIY programming for sunrise/sunset etc. is just way too much work. I still don't know what I will do, I have a strong feeling that once this tanks is fully grown in I will want to upgrade it to a 15-20g tank so the AI nano would work for that. I have to say the looks of the JBJ fixture is nice, the powersupply/dimming setup is so old school though.

hey Stephen what about one or two par38's ??

[txg8gxp]

Ok well the first changes have happened already. Because I desided to make a zoa garden with this tank I added a few more pieces of rock for more coral space, replaces the aquaclear 20 HOB with a aquaclear 50. The reason for the bigger HOB filter is because I'm going to use it as a fuge. I added the plastic screen to it to keep the chaeto in it, and replaced the impeller setup with the one from the aquaclear 20. Doing that I kept the flow the same just gained more space for macro. I will also be picking up some small led strips soon, two small blue ones for some actinics and one white strip for the fuge light. I will run the fuge in a reverse time cycle to help with pH swings aswell. I think in the long run it will be well worth the extra money. Here are a few pics of the filter upgrade and the tank with the extra rock in it. The water is still alittle cloudy from me adding rock and changing the filter.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/001.jpg?t=1326422304
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/002.jpg?t=1326422343
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/003-2.jpg?t=1326422377
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/004.jpg?t=1326422411
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/005.jpg?t=1326422450

[Zack]

Are all of the Aquaclear impellers interchangeable?

[txg8gxp]

I don't think they all are, If I remember right the 20-50 are and the 70-110 are. Not 100% sure though.

Are all of the Aquaclear impellers interchangeable?

[txg8gxp]

Now this is a diatom bloom....It looks bad, but atleast that means I'm one step closer to a cycled tank.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/003-3.jpg?t=1326769861

[Kristy]

Way to look at the bright side Stephen! :)

[txg8gxp]

Ok, well I got my fuge light done today. The total cost for this project was right under $12. It has 8 white leds powered by a 12v 2a power supply.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/fugelight001.jpg?t=1327013394
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/fugelight002.jpg?t=1327013427
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/fugelight005.jpg?t=1327013467
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/fugelight008.jpg?t=1327013499
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/fugelight010.jpg?t=1327013531

[KING]

that is so cool....

[txg8gxp]

Update: tank is looking great, diatoms are almost 100% gone now and believe it or not, the chaeto seems to have grown already too. I couldn't believe it, I looked in the filter after changing out the poly filter and Bam..... more macro.

[Monica25]

Looks good I like your rock setup. I'm in the diatom phase also. What are you gonna keep in your tank?

[txg8gxp]

The tank will mainly be all zoas

[txg8gxp]

small update, tanks has cleared up nice and chaeto is growing
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/003-4.jpg?t=1327461226
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/004-1.jpg?t=1327461298

[Zack]

Very nice, I love the rockwork.

[itsbobbyz]

wow nice. like the rock work a lot!

[txg8gxp]

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/017.jpg?t=1327635525
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/012.jpg?t=1327635404
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/013.jpg?t=1327635454
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/014.jpg?t=1327635486
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/015.jpg?t=1327635513

[txg8gxp]

Got a few things done on the tank today, I added a backdrop and installed a zoomed 501 nano canister filter. The backdrop looks great and the added flow from the canister filter is awesome. I put a pouch of purigen, the included bio media and foam filter in the canister. With the added filter the tank should stay really clean, I wanted to the extra filter so I can add some fish. My girlfriend still has a small molly miller blenny in her sump from the last collection trip I will put in the tank. I also think I will get a small neon cleaner goby and or a small fire shrimp. Now for pics
The filter
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/001-1.jpg?t=1327814446

Backdrop pic
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/002-1.jpg?t=1327814768

And the canister filter installed
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/003-5.jpg?t=1327814814
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/004-2.jpg?t=1327814873

[TXSea]

I love it man! Awesome setup so far. You have really put some thought into this thing. I love nano tanks! I'm looking forward to some more pics :)

[txg8gxp]

http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/046.jpg?t=1327893928

[betiuminside]

that back drop looks nice! good job!

[txg8gxp]

My new favorite zoas, Alpha and Omegas from MCC
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/014-1.jpg?t=1328929664

[reefreak]

Real nice how much did the canister run you?

[txg8gxp]

The canister filter filter was $49.99, Alittler more then I wanted to spend, but it was really worth it. It's runs pretty darn quiet (it's in my room and I can barely hear it). It really helps by adding extra flow and a place to run a large sponge, carbon, phosban, purigen, etc. Right now I'm only running the factory sponge, factory bio media and a pouch of purigen. When I take it apart to clean it in a week or so I will add some more sponge/filter pad ( the blue/white ac filters ) and I might get a bag of chemi pure elite aswell.

[reefreak]

Well I have a few 350 mag canisters laying around I want to set up on my 55 but kind of scared of the salt creep

[txg8gxp]

Well, this little tank is coming along nice. I have added a few more frags and added a few blue leds into the light fixture, they worked just how I wanted them too, It took the light froma 67k CFL look to a nice crisp 10k look.
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/001-2.jpg
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/015-1.jpg
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/004-3.jpg

[txg8gxp]

Update pics:
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0205.jpg?t=1331690933
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0216.jpg?t=1331691127
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0215.jpg?t=1331691223
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0213.jpg?t=1331691311
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0210.jpg?t=1331691390
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0209.jpg?t=1331691476
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0207.jpg?t=1331691550
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0206.jpg?t=1331691632

[hobogato]

very nice stephen, i really like the way you stacked the rock.

[tebstan]

Where's Spike?!

[txg8gxp]

Just hanging out..
http://i776.photobucket.com/albums/yy46/txg8gxp/DSC_0217.jpg?t=1331693036