Nano reef 180l

[liviumac]

Hi everyone
Hardscape is done!

This is my first attempt at creating a "negative space aquascape" as popularized by BRS TV and I must say, I'm pretty happy with the result (it of course looks better in real life) . Building this took almost one weekend and it was fun. I am very pleased with the Aquaforest rock (it's my first time using it) and not so pleased with AF Cement (some bonds did not last, very quick to dry etc) .

This is my small aquarium that I've brought with me to the NL when I moved - sorry I have not managed to clean it properly.
It is a custom AIO with dimension 60x60x50h - the display is 60X45X50h.

Next week I hope I'll have water in it .

Also debating with myself on what to choose between AI Hydra 32 and Reefled 90. Have had bad experiences with an AI Prime, so I am reluctant to invest in AI.
I would appreciate some inputs on the light choices!

 

[Draconas]

Looks good lots off hiding places. I only have 1 remark can you still pass with the scraper to clean te windows on both sides off the tank?

 

[liviumac]

thanks!
yeap, the scaper still has 5mm clearance on each side )
my intention was to leave of course more space but that's how the aquascape turned out.

 

[liviumac]

Yeah, we'll see. I hope I will have upgraded by the time the corals will prevent me from cleaning the glass
But in any case, that rock can be removed from the structure.

 

[goodie]

Nice scape with lots of potential!

About the af rock. I've seen one broken up and the inside was solid concrete. If you have the same stuff you could consider adding some surface area for bacteria to grow on in one of the filter chambers by adding some seachem matrix or bio balls or similar product.

Have fun with the project and thx for sharing

 

[liviumac]

Yes, I also have 2 blocks of marine pure, some matrix and siporax.

But the rock also seems porous to me, not concrete. It is lighter than other rocks I've used in the past, which is also a good sign. It was a nice surprise, actually. I was even able to cut it with a dremel.

Picture attached. The white stuff is porous.

 

[liviumac]

Hello!
The aquarium has water for about 2 months.

animals:
- copperband butterfly (eats mysis + artemia by himself and also eats blood worms but only if I feed them to him with tweezers - crazy fish
- 2 clowns
- banggai cardinal
- fire goby
- midas blenny
- Lysmata debelius (much more shy than Amboinensis, I rarely see him - that's 40 euro well spent †)
- 5 snails
- some common corals, but I like them

Status:
- I have not done any tests, but I've done 50% water changes 2 times
- diamond bloom is going away
- hair algae is only starting (I'm adding some Vibrant for that, yes, I know it's an algaecide).

All in all, I like it!

Future plans: more fish and corals
By the way, finding fish & frags is very difficult - LFS is open only 5 hours on Sat and offer is not that big, so how do you guys find frags to buy?

 

[liviumac]

Hi!
I've been to Aquaasan - very nice store, but I did not see a lot of frags, mostly colonies that are too big (and too expensive ) or too sensitive to keep in a new aquarium.
But I'll visit again and have another look, so thanks for the tip.

I called the copperband "crazy" because he eats blood worms only if I feed them to him - otherwise he ignores them completely.
Other than that, he is acting completely fine (I had another one for 2 years before I had to sell it so I know how they're supposed to act) and does not seem bothered by the small space.

But of course, an upgrade is coming in the following year in terms of aquarium size (once we buy a house).

I bought the copperband now because finding one that eats is difficult and I knew I had to train him to accept frozen food. And doing that now is easier, because there are no other aggressive feeders in the tank.

Also, there is the more general idea that rules can be bent, if you know what you are doing. The copperband is not as active a swimmer like, let's say, a tang. They need space mostly because in a larger aquarium the chances of finding live food in rocks is bigger - but the chances of finding frozen food is lower. And of course there is no live food in my aquarium, because it is so new.

 

[Erbe2307]

Also, there is the more general idea that rules can be bent, if you know what you are doing. The copperband is not as active a swimmer like, let's say, a tang. They need space mostly because in a larger aquarium the chances of finding live food in rocks is bigger - but the chances of finding frozen food is lower. And of course there is no live food in my aquarium, because it is so new.

Apparently, by "bending" you mean completely disregarding a fish's well-being and accepting any reasoning that aligns to your own wishes and desires...

 

[Marc'sReef]

Hi!
I've been to Aquaasan - very nice store, but I did not see a lot of frags, mostly colonies that are too big (and too expensive ) or too sensitive to keep in a new aquarium.
But I'll visit again and have another look, so thanks for the tip.

I called the copperband "crazy" because he eats blood worms only if I feed them to him - otherwise he ignores them completely.
Other than that, he is acting completely fine (I had another one for 2 years before I had to sell it so I know how they're supposed to act) and does not seem bothered by the small space.

But of course, an upgrade is coming in the following year in terms of aquarium size (once we buy a house).

I bought the copperband now because finding one that eats is difficult and I knew I had to train him to accept frozen food. And doing that now is easier, because there are no other aggressive feeders in the tank.

Also, there is the more general idea that rules can be bent, if you know what you are doing. The copperband is not as active a swimmer like, let's say, a tang. They need space mostly because in a larger aquarium the chances of finding live food in rocks is bigger - but the chances of finding frozen food is lower. And of course there is no live food in my aquarium, because it is so new.

I buy frags almost exclusively on ''marktplaats'' from other fish keepers. This forum also has a section were corals and other stuff is being sold. Often you can get corals much cheaper this way and it is nice to see the aquaria other people have at home! If you wanna buy corals at a store, search for the bigger stores that have a saltwater section.

Your tank looks great, but I think the CBB is on the large side for this tank, especially since you got quite a big specimen. For feeding you could try mussels that you break open first and from there introduce more feeds. Adding garlic or AF fish V to frozen feeds might entice him to eat as well. He cannot live from blood worms exclusively.

 

[liviumac]

completely disregarding a fish's well-being

This is an unfair statement.

The fish is actually doing considerably better than at the fish store. He was housed in a big coral flat, with tangs and other aggresive feeders. He was eating only live artemia and only very little, because the food was quickly dispersed and getting eaten by others (I witnessed this because I asked for the fish to be fed). He was also skinny - I could see his spine.

I think you also saw Copperbands at the fish store and you would agree that most of them are in a bad shape. At least that's my experience after 6 months of visiting different fish stores in NL.

After 1 month in my care, the fish is now eating 3 types of frozen foods and not only that, but he's also aggresively attacking the food. I also feed him by hand at least once a day. He has visibly gained weight, he is now bulky instead of skinny. I also soak the food in 2 types of vitamins before feeding.

We cannot know what fish feel, we can only observe their behaviour. After 15+ years of keeping all sorts of fish, I think I can say when a fish is not doing well. This fish is active, alert and personable - he comes to the front of the glass when he sees me etc. By all markers, he's a happy fish.

And of course the plan was never to keep him in this tank long term.

So that's why I think your statement is unfair, to say the least.

 

[liviumac]

Your tank looks great, but I think the CBB is on the large side for this tank, especially since you got quite a big specimen. For feeding you could try mussels that you break open first and from there introduce more feeds. Adding garlic or AF fish V to frozen feeds might entice him to eat as well. He cannot live from blood worms exclusively.

I do not plan to keep him long term in this tank. I've tried mussels/ shrimp etc - no succes. But now he is eating artemia, mysis and blood worms, so no problems. Of course I use Fish V and garlic oil.

But to your statement that "he cannot live from bloodworms exclusively" - that is debatable. Some would argue that he cannot live off artemia and mysis. At least the owner of my previous LFS thought so and he had trained a lot of CBs. He was the one that actually told me that the secret for long term CB succes is blood worms. In his opinion, feeding only mysis and artemia is the reason why most people lose the CB out of the blue at around the 9 months mark.

I followed his advice and had a happy CB for 2 years. But then I had to sell it because I moved to NL. The fish is still doing well at the current owner (I passed to him the same advice). So, I don't know for sure whether the blood worms are indeed the secret, but it worked for me.

 

[Patrick_NL]

Yeah, that's why we keep pigs and cows in small housing. Because it is way better for them then to let them roam free between all those predators like wolves and bears...

 

[gebrooker-reef]

What a lot of hate here on the forum. I would rather see a happy and healthy fish in a somewhat small tank that lives for years. Instead of most people that have bigger tanks that are relatively still small for the fish and most of the annimals die in their first or first 2 years. And then tell themselves that it was probably bad luck or the fish was in a bad condition when bought, just to go back to the store and buy another one just to repeat what happens to the first one and so on. You see this also with clams. Keep buying new things that keep dying and don't make any changes to the tank.

grt Marco

 

[Bas81]

I have seen lots of people add a filefish in a small tank and thats al good. But if someone adds a tang in a 300 liter aquarium everybody gets up in arms. It’s a bit weird in my opinion.

 

[Arachno]

I have seen lots of people add a filefish in a small tank and thats al good. But if someone adds a tang in a 300 liter aquarium everybody gets up in arms. It’s a bit weird in my opinion.

These two dogs are roughly the same size:

Yet they have vastly different requirement (and ability) of physical excercise. Kind of the same thing when comparing a filefish with a tang.

On the topic: I think that good care is just as important as giving the animal a good habitat to live. It's not a case of one of the two is good enough, both need to be in order. A very active fish obviously needs more swimming space.

 

[Bas81]

I agree, but if have seen pretty active filefish and lazy tangs. So I don’t like to judge so quickly.

Same for a dog, most bulldogs are couch potatoes, but a friend of mine has a tornado

 

[Bas81]

These two dogs are roughly the same size:
Bekijk bijlage 591262Bekijk bijlage 591263
Yet they have vastly different requirement (and ability) of physical excercise. Kind of the same thing when comparing a filefish with a tang.

On the topic: I think that good care is just as important as giving the animal a good habitat to live. It's not a case of one of the two is good enough, both need to be in order. A very active fish obviously needs more swimming space.

Same argument is to be made about a copperband. They are not that active.
Of course I agree that a bigger tank would be better and you should do the best you can for your pets. But 170 liter with nice hiding spaces will probably work just fine.

And if the fish suffers please just bring it back to your lfs or donate it to someone with a more suitable tank.

 

[Erbe2307]

Same argument is to be made about a copperband. They are not that active.
Of course I agree that a bigger tank would be better and you should do the best you can for your pets. But 170 liter with nice hiding spaces will probably work just fine.

And if the fish suffers please just bring it back to your lfs or donate it to someone with a more suitable tank.

The tank is not 170 L!
The total system volume is. The first post states that the living area is 60X45X50cm, that is about 125L (considering a water height of about 46cm).

What a lot of hate here on the forum...

Congratulations, you just made the most hateful statement of this topic.

 

[Bas81]

The tank is not 170 L!
The total system volume is. The first post stated that the living area is 60X45X50cm, that is about 125L (considering a water height of about 46cm).


Congratulations, you just made the most hateful statement in this topic.

I was under the impression that the system was 45 gallon. 125 liter is indeed really on the small side….