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UES, Manhattan
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Up to date FTS:
NanoWave_Week3.jpg


The short story:
8 weeks ago I got my first saltwater tank - a FO 10g Eclipse off of Craigslist. I slowly built up the tank as I learned about the hobby, the idea being that I could "dip my toe" in before jumping into the deep end. Thanks to everyone who provided help and information over the past few weeks.
(Caveat: if I could do it again, I would probably get an AIO right off the bat; I was worried about investing, but I probably could have resold the tank with minimal losses, if things went south.)

Initial tank contents:
1 false perc clown fish
3 three-stripe damsels
1 reef hermit
Stock Eclipse lighting and filtration

Current tank contents:
4-6 Nassarious snails, 2-4 Cerith snails
2 false perc clown fish
1 reef hermit and 1 halloween hermit
10lb LR, a few inches of LS
2 Kenya trees and a bunch of Xenia stalks
10k 15W light

In photo form:
Aquarium_Week1_Web.jpg
[Day1 - just got the aquarium]

Aquarium_Week2_Web.jpg
[Week2 - just got the rock and sand, got rid of the fake coral and added a powerhead and a heater]

Aquarium_Week3.JPG
[Week3 - swapped the light out for a 10k one and gave away the damsels]

Week_6_Web.jpg
[Week6 - got some Xenia from a fellow MRer; the tank is finally looking like it can support life :)]


This is roughly where the tank stands now, and I figured it was time to move into a real tank with more than 15W of light and a better suited filtration system. This brings us to DRCooper's Nano Wave 9, which is hopefully making its way back to the spotlight, once again to be teeming with life :D

Week1.jpg
[The tank holds water. Kinda boring, but I am patient...]

Testing_the_waters.jpg
[Parameters are good after a few days of sitting, so I added a Kenya and a Xenia tonight (the Xenia frag planted itself on the rock after one day in my aquarium, and it's already split since then! those things grow FAST)]


I'll wait a few days to see how the corals do, and then I'll make the full tank move if the Kenya gives the go ahead.


Planned projects and acquisitions:
  • Cheato for the fuge. Does anyone have any?
  • Zoas... as soon as the tank is stable again, I would love to be pointed in the direction of some bright colored ones :)
  • Moonlight LEDs. The tank's LEDs are busted, so I will be fitting the hood with a DIY solution as soon as I have time.
  • Fans. The hood is really hot... going from 15W to 48W is awesome, but it clearly comes with a challenge of its own. I'll try to mod the hood somehow to include two 80mm fans.
  • Maybe a clown goby or a firefish... not really on my agenda, since I don't want to crowd the tank, but I suspect I'll get an itch to add some livestock at some point.
 
Last edited:

daisy

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Welcome - good that you're already of the "be patient" mindset. Having said that, six weeks is not much time in the reef hobby. Be sure to keep an eye on your parameters. Do you have test kits for the basics (pH, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia)?

Fans are a very good idea as temp spikes are a huge summer problem!

My experience with xenia - nice to have something to start out with that grows fast, but be warned that xenia grows REALLY fast and can spread all over the place. I am continually pulling it out of my tanks now because it grows over corals that grow much more slowly. (I got xenia and anthelia many many years ago - finally got rid of all the anthelia, still battling the xenia)

Still, they are a very good, hardy beginner coral. But when you move on to more difficult-to-keep corals, you may end up pulling all the rock with xenia out and selling it or something.

I have a clown goby in my 29, and he's very cute. Once he started eating, he did fine. For the first several weeks I had him, he fasted and frankly, I'm amazed he survived at all. Now he's a pig and beautiful. He loves to perch in the SPS.

Best of luck!
 
Location
UES, Manhattan
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Thanks for viewing, Daisy. Your clown goby sounds awesome... if I get one, I can only hope he has as much character as yours :)

Sadly, it looks like this tank move is not happening quite yet... got home today to a room with a blasting AC, ambient temp probably 78/80, and the tank was reading 93. I immediately shut off the lights and am letting things cool down before I take the corals out and put them back into the Eclipse (don't want to shock them).

I'm a bit confused, as I read nothing quite like this in the Nano Wave 9 reviews... if anyone can enlighten me to possible issues with the lights/ballast/something that would cause overheating, that would be helpful. In the meantime, I will accelerate my 3x40mm fan plan and hope for the best.
 
Location
UES, Manhattan
Rating - 100%
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Thanks, Anthony. I am actually thinking of converting the eclipse to a planted freshwater tank, now that it's empty.

So, yeah. Tank move has been accomplished! I swapped out the MJ1200 with a 900 and replaced the hood with a 2x24W PC fixture with built-in fans, and the temp was holding 2 degrees lower than my Eclipse for the past few days.

FTS to follow, assuming everything is ok when I get home tonight...

Some questions:
-The MJ900 provides a lot of circulation... that + my Korelia nano seemed a bit much for the fish and corals. Is the pump enough on its own?
- There is now a slight gap between the light and the edge of the lid; should I get some eggcrate and close the hole, or will they be ok?
 
Location
UES, Manhattan
Rating - 100%
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Update:
I've added an up-to-date FTS to the beginning of the thread, as I will continue to do, hopefully.

My Halloween hermit was looking at an empty shell the other day and I also found evidence of a molt in a few banded orange legs lying around, so I popped in some alternatives for him. Lo and behold, the next day he moved into a HUGE shell... he can barely walk with it, lol. That's him at the top of the rock mound.

Also, the Koralia Nano seems to be too much for this tank in addition to the MJ900 - I am just going to remove it soon.

Still haven't figured out how to operate the skimmer successfully, but I've been too busy to really devote the attention needed to solve the riddle of how many bubbles is enough. :)
 
Last edited:

jr973

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Location
new jersey
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Looks like a came a long way pal lookin good congrats on your upgrade probably more to come lol I know I have going on my 3rd one pretty soon lol
 
Location
UES, Manhattan
Rating - 100%
12   0   0
Thanks for the kind words, folks! I still have a long way to go... planned upgrade is a Solana 34g with 16 or 24 (haven't decided yet) LEDs. Nice to see how far I've come though :)

Guarda, that's only the main frag you gave me... it split into 3 large stalks. It also dropped two arms in other spots around the tank.
 

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