Here’s how I set up a brand new 27 gallon Marineland aquarium using live sand and live rock. The equipment is simple, and maintenance will be as well, just how Caitlin would have wanted.
The cycle was 14 days, then the first fish was added. A week later, I moved the Japanese Pygmy Angelfish in as well.
This tank has a heater, air bubbler, Nero 5 pump, and AI Prime 16HD.
To feed the tank automatically each day, as well as when you are away due to travel, the Eheim Autofeeder drops in food to feed your reef. The Eheim Chimney that I created keeps the food in one spot in the tank, allowing it to saturate with water and drizzle down into the water column, instead of drifting along the surface into the overflow where it is wasted.
Designing the steel stand for the new 400g, i knew I'd want a full length walkboard, allowing me to work anywhere in the tank comfortably.
At MACNA 21, I did a two hour demonstration showing how I work with acrylic, the tools I use and the techniques I prefer to employ. Here's a short segment filmed by an attendee that day.
Scraping Manjanos off the rockwork is an effective solution that won't affect the reef tank adversely. Spending a few hours on this focused task will restore the aquarium back to a healthy state, and you'll feel vastly better thereafter because the difference will be remarkable. While there are other methods you could employ, this is simply one approach for you to consider. And it's essentially free!
Today marks four years when the livestock was placed in my 400g reef. Here are all the links I talked about in this video:
Using an iPhone 4 in a floater box, you can see how the corals are doing
in my 400g reef. The tank is 6.5 months old in this video.
Unnarrated filming of my 400g set up, showcasing everything from the light rack to the refugium, helping you visualize where everything fits together. I shot this with my iPhone 4 prior to a trip, allowing me to share the video with others during my travels.
While construction of the new fishroom was underway, the livestock awaited their future home in Rubbermaid feeding troughs. It was like living in a mad scientist's lab, and no I didn't enjoy it. But what can you do when your reeflings need a new home? You improvise.
In May 2010, the bubble tip anemones (BTAs) in my 280g reef spawned. The smokey sperm clouded up the water making it hard to see. What amazed me was that the Rose BTA released a clutch of eggs on cue. This particular anemone was in the 20g satellite tank tied into the 280g system.
