# My First Marine Aquarium



## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

Hello all!

So, I've had freshwater tanks on and off the past 25 years. Late last summer I decided to start my first marine tank. I acquired a small 23 gallon AIO to start, and learned how to cycle using ammonia and well, I guess most of you have been into this hobby for years, so I won't bore you with the learning curve. But, I'll show you a couple of photos. One is during setup, the second is from today. Currently a FOWLR tank with a couple of Kenya Tree frags. Looking forward to starting off with soft corals. Looks like all my water chemistry levels are good, though I still need to acquire a magnesium test kit.

I'll probably upgrade size of tank down the road, but for now I'm happy with what I have.

Look forward to being more active in the community, and also to your feedback and advice, especially about acquiring corals and how best to place them in my tank. Cheers.

Gear:
-23 gallon 5mm Starfire Glass AIO Aquarium w/ 3D background
-Tunze 9001 Protein Skimmer
-Two Little Fishies 150 Phosban Reactor w/ Pump
-Eheim 100w Heater
-Current USA Reef Aquarium IC Loop LED Lighting System + Wireless Light & Pump Control. 24”-36”
-BRS 5-stage RODI

Livestock:
2 Clarkii Clownfish. One is approx 3 years old. The other is a juvenile.

1 Green-Blue Chromis (the other died)

2 Nessarius Snails. Don’t see them often. At least one is alive. Haven’t seen the two of them out of the sand in weeks.

2 Mexican Turbo Snails. These two cleaned up all the algae in the tank while I dealt with algae. Even the 3D back wall which was full of it. Job well done. Challenge now will be to not let them starve to death.

1 Hermit Crab. A real character.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*welcome to the dark side*

welcome to dark side , tank looks great , biggest piece of advice is be patient , next thing someone will tell u is to get the biggest tank possible , if u are happy with what u got then roll with it , what u will find its hard to catch something when it goes wrong ,not saying anything will.
keep up the updates ,looking great so far .
cheers 
tom


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Nice! In a tank that size you are almost maxed out for fish. Your biggest challenge now is going to be how to keep your calcium and alkalinity at the levels your corals need. What are you dosing? Or are you using water changes to ensure your mineral levels are at the right range. You will be amazed what even just a Kenya tree will pull out of the water.
For fish, if you want to keep a nano tank like that, consider tiny fish. Like under 1" or so. It is possible in a 20 gallon that you could have 15 to 20 micro fish if you look at things like Eviotas or Trimmas. Or my fav, Bryaninops Natans.......
Or plan a larger tank......for sure finding fish for a larger tank is easier.
Either way, for a first tank, you're off to a great start!


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

*Thanks.... and some questions.*

Thanks... it's nice to get some replies : )

I'm currently not dosing as I've only a couple of Kenya Tree frags, though I'm researching it. Currently, I'm maintaining levels with weekly 10% water changes using Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt, and manual fresh-water top-offs every day or two.

So here is a question that I think will have lots of different answers, and I'd really like to hear and learn of your experiences:

It looks like there are varying methods of dosing such as 2-part, kalwasser, or manually adding magnesium / calcium / soda ash. I don't yet have an auto top-off or an aquarium controller, so would most likely be manually dosing for now.... not against automating in the future. What might be the way to go? I've acquired a few bottles of soda ash, calcium and I think magnesium as part of a used-gear purchase, but I'm not married to using it. From what I've researched kalwasser may be the easiest, and perhaps the best value? Look forward to hearing of your experiences and what is working for you.

Cheers and thanks.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Big can of worms!!!!! There are so many different methods, and protocols. Everyone has their favourite. I like the Fauna Marin product, and use it with a doser. For your small tank, for now, start with something simple like the aqua vitro premixed bottled product, because in a small tank it is really easy to overdose.
The Aqua vitro product is fairly weak so you are less likely to throw your levels off too quickly. The key to successful reef keeping is to maintain your levels at a constant reading. You don't want them to swing too high or too low. That goes for temp, salinity, nitrates, as well as alk and cal.


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## szl (Sep 18, 2015)

Test kits. 

Get good test kits.

This means, Red Sea, Salifert, etc. NOT API  

Before you dose anything you should have good test kits and be using them enough to know what to be dosing. Find out what your tank is using up by testing day after w/c, then day before w/c.. You can get a decent idea of how much nutrients your tank is using each week and should also be pretty easy to use a calculator to figure out what you need to be dosing each day.

I am guessing (test to make sure) that your weekly w/c should be enough to supplement it, so you probably wont need to dose at this point. 

Once you get to the point where you need to dose, any of the methods will work, the key is finding one that works best for you and test test test. Like Cheryl mentioned the Aquavitro line is great for manual dosing and the Red Sea products are good too, I have used B-ionics in the past and am currently trying out the balling method using Aquaforest's line. 

What are you running in your phosban? 

I would recommend getting an ATO asap. It makes life much easier.


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## Rookie2013 (Jan 17, 2013)

Welcome to the other side of the mountain  This hobby is very intriguing so go slow, watch your wallet (it gets out of hands sometimes lol). IMO you wont need to dose anything for now as your system is fairly new however once you start growing corals and purple algae you should start testing the water as mentioned above and than dose depending on where your levels are.


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## Acrylic (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi supadean!

I agree with no need to worry about dosing just yet. Monitor your tank and find out what it needs (if anything). The best thing you can do is research 

Nice Clarkiis btw. They are great fish with lots of personality. I've had mine for about 12 years now (I swear the fish is immortal) Unfortunately he attacks anything that goes in the tank (including my arm).

Good luck with the tank!


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

szl said:


> Test kits.
> 
> Get good test kits.
> 
> ...


Hi and thanks! I'm running GFO in the Two Little Fishies 150 Reactor. I understand I could mix in carbon with the GFO as well? Currently have a bulk carbon in my sump with good water flow. I just bought the Red Sea Carbon Spec which seems nice and light, and could go into the reactor. Thoughts? Cheers.


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## duckhams (Oct 13, 2009)

+1 on no dosing for now. On a tank that size you shouldn't need to run GFO with that bioload, control your P04/N03 (phosphates/nitrates) with water changes and careful feeding. Don't broadcast feed the tank, target feed the fish what they will eat in a few minutes and limit flake foods to a couple times a week, max. Your P04 shouldn't be a problem. Larger water changes are much safer than playing around with GFO at this point. And i'd only run the carbon if that tank starts to smell or the water discolours. Tank looks good, im excited for you! Keep it simple, you don't need a lot of equipment to be successful. You're on the right track! - Elliott


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## szl (Sep 18, 2015)

+1 on no GFO. 

I just had a nightmare in my tank for months, because I was running GFO with a low bioload. I just figured (probably as you did) that keeping po4 low was good. I ended up killing off alot of my pods and lots of sps, because of GFO making water too clean.... Yep thats a thing. 

Thats why I asked. I would take it offline and test for it. If you see your po4 rise to a point where w/c cant control it, then run it a bit till you get it under control.


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

Acrylic said:


> Hi supadean!
> 
> I agree with no need to worry about dosing just yet. Monitor your tank and find out what it needs (if anything). The best thing you can do is research
> 
> ...


Thanks! Both Clarkii's are big personalities.They share the tank with a remaining blue / green Chromis. The three co-habitate quite well. At feeding time the Chromis is assertive, and though he gets chased a lot, manages to get a good meal every time. I'm targeting feeding to ensure he eats as well. If / when the Chromis passes on, I think I won't add more fish, and let the tank house the two Clarkii's and assorted cleanup crew. I imagine the smaller one will continue to grow, so at some point I will need to up-size my aquarium.

I'll be posting recent photos soon.


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

szl said:


> +1 on no GFO.
> 
> I just had a nightmare in my tank for months, because I was running GFO with a low bioload. I just figured (probably as you did) that keeping po4 low was good. I ended up killing off alot of my pods and lots of sps, because of GFO making water too clean.... Yep thats a thing.
> 
> Thats why I asked. I would take it offline and test for it. If you see your po4 rise to a point where w/c cant control it, then run it a bit till you get it under control.


Hi... I have heard of water being too clean. Sorry to hear what you went through. So, I've a phosphate question:

1. What is a healthy phosphate level if you've corals in the aquarium, or a FOWLR tank, and don't want phosphate levels too low? I thought the ideal was 0 ppm?

Thanks.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

My 20g saw substantial die off when I brought down the numbers with chemipure and phosban.

All my gsp and softies just died....


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and advice thus far. Very useful, and I'm finding the learning curve very enjoyable. I want to start a new career and maintain the setup at the downtown Ripley's aquarium one day...heheh. Kidding, sort of. Seriously, it's great to meet so many knowledgable and generous hobbyists.

I don't have a lot in terms of an update. Just a few small things I can share. And several questions for those that would like to answer them.

1. First... some pics! I've included a vertical pic which shows the modified Singer sewing machine stand I use as my aquarium stand. I find the majority of retail stands uninspiring. Not that the Singer is a work of art, but it is different and beautiful in its own way. Being wrought iron, is as strong as it gets. Only downside is lack of storage.

2. I removed some rock to open things up on the sand bed and to make more room for swimming.... and eventual corals.

3. I don't have a pic, but my yellow-legged hermit crab is hilarious. He just moved from his shell to one that is more than double the size of his previous one. I'd say it's three to four times as large. I don't know how he lugs it around everywhere but he hasn't made a move to return to the old one.

4. My Kenya Tree frags are growing quickly! The new lights were a true bump up from the stock light that came with the tank. A friend told me to get them out of the tank as they are like a weed and will eventually take over.

5. Test kits.... just how bad are the API test kits? Seriously, for what I've got don't they suffice? I've the Master Salt Water and Reef test kits. I understand, perhaps incorrectly, when moving into SPS corals 100% accurate test results are important, and that would be the time to move to Red Sea or Seifert test kits. But with two Kenya Tree frags.... and a few softies / LPS? Your thoughts?

6. Carbon and GFO. Some have said I don't need them. Others have said to use them smartly. I've currently a small amount of GFO in a reactor and carbon in a bag in the sump. I have some thoughts on this topic:

*a.* Would it be a good idea to mix the carbon with the GFO in a reactor? I understand GFO is prone to being dissolved if there is too much turbulence in the reactor. Would adding Red Sea Reef Spec carbon be a good more or not?

*b.* Getting rid of chemical filtration altogether and bring it back if and when needed.

7. Speaking of reactors....Refugium! .... what I'm leaning towards is using my Phosban reactor as a refugium by wrapping an LED strip light around it. Should be perfect for my 23 gallon nano. Your thoughts?

8. Am thinking of adding corals soon. Softies and / or LPS. I'm open to suggestions of which corals to start with. I'd really like to add texture and colour to my aquarium.

I think that's all for now. Cheers and thanks.


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## Acrylic (Apr 22, 2010)

Nice setup! I ran softies/lps for years with only checking salinity and doing regular water changes. Testing is a good thing to do to understand what is going on with your water parameters, but not absolutely necessary.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Tumbling gfo with carbon is a really bad idea. The gdo being the harder of the two will grind down the carbon into a small dust which will get into your system, and into your fish's gills which can cause some type of burn or poisoning to the fish.

Buy the saliferttesr kits, API are garbage.

Kill the Kenya tree. It's more of a hassle when it gets somewhere you don't want it

No reason you can't add some soft corals like mushrooms or even monti caps. They can take a beating


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## duckhams (Oct 13, 2009)

altcharacter said:


> Tumbling gfo with carbon is a really bad idea. The gdo being the harder of the two will grind down the carbon into a small dust which will get into your system, and into your fish's gills which can cause some type of burn or poisoning to the fish.
> 
> Buy the saliferttesr kits, API are garbage.
> 
> ...


+1 on 90% of the above. But id go with any test kit other than API, I personally like Red Sea Pro test kits. I'd pull out the GFO and carbon until it's needed.


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

*Update! Switched to an Innovative Marine Tank*

*Feb 6 2017 Correction: *i double-checked my water volume calculations for the Perfect Aquarium 23 gallon and the Innovative Marine 20 gallon. I discovered I had made an assumption, and therefore an error.

My assumption that AIO aquarium manufacturers marketed tank water volume to include the sump isn't correct. Some do. Some don't. Here are the correct numbers:

Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 20 Gallon:
Display Water Volume: 20 gallons
Sump Water Volume: 4 gallons

Perfect Aquarium 23 Gallon:
Display Water Volume: 15 gallons
Sump Water Volume 5 gallons
Note: The 3D background wall is approx 1.5" thick. The space it occupies in the tank is equal to approx 2.5 - 3.0 gallons.

The display area of the IM 20 gallon aquarium, (the new home for my sea creatures) is an increase of 5 gallons, not 1 gallon. When it comes to a nano tank, that is significant.

___________________________________________________________

I'm a geek when it comes to documenting things, and thought I'd share a detailed update of why I switched from one 20 gallon AIO to another of the same size. I've found when researching things online, user posts on forums to be useful. So here it is:

Innovative Marine: New Aquarium!

*Why switch to an AIO tank of the same size?*
As much as I enjoy the features and presentation of the 20 gallon Perfect Aquarium AIO, there are some considerations to be mindful of:

1.	Dimensions: Because of the tank's height, the depth of living space for my Clarkii Clownfish was narrow. My total livestock is 2 Clarkii Clowfish, 1 blue-green Chromis (the other died), 1 hermit crab, and 4 snails. Perfect bioload for this aquarium. The narrow aquarium depth also made it a bit difficult with large rock aqua-scaping. With smaller fish the dimensions and layout of the display area really isn't an issue. The rear sump is a generous 5 gallons. Remember this is an 20 gallon AIO tank, so a 5 gallon, built-in rear sump, is excellent.

2.	Water filtration: water filters through the rear sump in one direction with its one overflow and one output nozzle. The upside of this is generously-sized sump chambers for a tank of this size. The sump's return pump is also more than powerful enough. The only downside, if one could consider it a downside, is water output/ movement flows generally in one direction throughout the display area.

*Why Switch to the Innovative Marine?*
Innovative Marine has built a great reputation for their AIO tanks. They are highly regarded, are an established company and generally represent good value. They also offer a good line of accessories. Their tanks are widely used and there are numerous reviews and information available online.

Their designs are well thought out. Tanks are geared towards reefing and so the dimensions reflect that with most tanks being shallow with more depth than traditional designs. Their rear sump compartments are well laid out with dual return nozzles and a large center chamber flanked by two small chambers on either side for a total of 5 chambers. Interestingly, the Nuvo 20's sump is 4 gallons compared to the Perfect Aquarium's 5 gallons.

I discovered the downside, especially with the Nuvo 20, is the small sump chambers. No third party protein skimmers worth mentioning, and no reactors, will fit. Even my Tunze 9001 skimmer does not fit. I could mod the centre chamber by installing 2 smaller return pumps and modding the return tubing, but it a pain and an additional expense. The pumps would need to work harder because of the multiple 90 degree bends in water flow plumbing. However, that mod would be less expensive than buying their custom-designed skimmer and reactor because their accessories are expensive. But they work and are well-designed.

*The New-Used Nuvo 20*
I found a used Nuvo 20 from a gtaaquaria member who had abandoned the hobby after a major tank crash, causing the loss of all the tank's corals.

The irony is before Christmas I found a seller of a used 30L IM tank with stand. It was beautiful and priced to sell. But, I had just paid cash for the Perfect Aquarium and was committed to it. Plus, the 30L is a bit over-sized for my space and current layout, and would be more expensive to run. As a newbie, I felt the smaller tank would be a good way to learn as the smaller water capacity means I need to keep on top of it.

*Installation of the Nuvo 20*
When I brought the tank home and got to work restoring the aquarium, I had to spend several hours cleaning it of coraline algae and mineral deposits. I had to research how to get rid of the white water line which vinegar and elbow grease couldn't remove, without scratching the glass.

I then modified my Singer sewing machine stand with a proper-sized wood base which I found at a Home Depot's lumbar area. For $5 I acquired a nice piece of laminated wood about double the size needed. Had them cut it to the exact dimensions of the tank. I spray painted it black. The setup looks great.

It took a solid day to swap the sea animals, water, rock, sand, and all other gear over to the Nuvo 20. I was mindful of stressing the fish and invertebrates as little as possible. Everything went well and the tank inhabitants took to their new home in no time. Yay!

See photos for the result.

*Wrap-Up*
The Nuvo 20 offers an additional gallon of water in the display area. The layout of the space provides more room for aqua-scaping and most importantly more depth for the fish to swim. The quality of the low iron, starphire glass and the black acrylic back wall are gorgeous. The sump has one gallon less of water capacity, but dual output nozzles and five sump chambers make up for it, especially with the external Fluval 106 canister filter providing additional water volume and filtration (which may actually not be necessary).

While the Tunze 9001 skimmer is situated in the display area, it blends in fairly well. I'll observe for a few days to see if it starts producing skim mate as the canister filtration and the sump clean the water quite well. I may remove the canister filter to allow the skimmer to perform as it could, and again install the canister filter to the Fluval Edge 6 gallon.

Stay tuned for an update where I plan to introduce corals!


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Awesome post!! I like the layout of the new tank and I think the clowns look pretty happy in there.

Let it be known...

Once you get the saltwater bug in you, it's hard to get it out. And I'll pretty much bet on it that you'll have a 50g in the next 24 months 

Good luck!


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## Rookie2013 (Jan 17, 2013)

altcharacter said:


> Awesome post!! I like the layout of the new tank and I think the clowns look pretty happy in there.
> 
> Let it be known...
> 
> ...


Lol so very true

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

*March 12, 2017 update*

My modest reef aquarium is coming along. It recently had some chocolate mint zoanthid corals until the emerald crabs ate them as a snack. Coming soon: 2 big pieces of Fiji live rock. Bought from a fellow reefer. Can't wait! Rock is currently cooking so it'll be another week or two before it's safe to place them into the tank. They may replace what I currently have altogether.


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## duckhams (Oct 13, 2009)

Emerals crabs can be voracious little chompers! I had one that took a liking to and ate a small german blue digitata colony.


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## do_0b (Mar 3, 2008)

duckhams said:


> Emerals crabs can be voracious little chompers! I had one that took a liking to and ate a small german blue digitata colony.


i agree....it demolished my bubble algae and then started to go after some of my corals


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## Sandeep (Aug 10, 2009)

I would avoid crabs in your tank and stick to snails. If you must have crabs, only a few of the very tiniest blue legged hermit crabs.

My favourites are nassarius snails for cleaning up leftover food and eating waste matter in the gravel and trochus snails for algea.

Here is a great summary of all the different kinds of snails and what they do.
https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/whats-the-best-snail-for-a-reef-tank/


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

I won't have a tank without emerald crabs. It's amazing th differences of experiences and requirements. Especially for a nano tank.

I love the IM tanks as well. Have had 2 and both have been excellent. My current 30 gallon IM houses my nps and small fish, so I get a fair amount of algae growth once in a while. This is where I make sure I have emeralds, to deal with stubborn bryopsis. I have also noticed one of my branching sun corals getting torn up, and suspect it was the emerald crab, but they still do more good than harm.
My blue legged hermit crabs are useless for algae.

Love the posts and description!
Try getting your tunze skimmer in the back area of the tank. It should fit. Don't ever give this skimmer up. It's a monster compared to the Ghost skimmer.


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## supadean (Jul 26, 2007)

*Six Month Update. What shall I do Next? hmmm.*

Fun times.


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