14gal Nano Reef Build

[tyguy7760]

Have always been intrigued by the saltwater nano tanks. Yours looks amazing.

 

[TikiBird]

Lovely, Slug! Inspiring.

 

[Slug]

Thanks!

 

[BlackNotebookTanks]

This tank is truly inspiring! It makes me.want to get into Saltwater so badly!!!! Gorgeous tank, stunning corals and adorable fish. And your perseverance with this tank after that disaster a few years back is just outstanding. Being a beginner keeper and FW/FWP only, I don't really understand much about Saltwater tanks but this thread has made me want to learn all I can! Just amazing amazing amazing Slug you are a fantastic fish (and coral!) Keeper and I aspire to be like you one day!

 

[Slug]

This tank is truly inspiring! It makes me.want to get into Saltwater so badly!!!! Gorgeous tank, stunning corals and adorable fish. And your perseverance with this tank after that disaster a few years back is just outstanding. Being a beginner keeper and FW/FWP only, I don't really understand much about Saltwater tanks but this thread has made me want to learn all I can! Just amazing amazing amazing Slug you are a fantastic fish (and coral!) Keeper and I aspire to be like you one day!

Thank you! Nice of you to say. I still consider myself a small fish in the big ocean, there are a lot of people out there with tanks better than mine and knowledge so vast that I hope to one day achieve what they have. If I can serve as inspiration then I am very pleased!

 

[BlackNotebookTanks]

Thank you! Nice of you to say. I still consider myself a small fish in the big ocean, there are a lot of people out there with tanks better than mine and knowledge so vast that I hope to one day achieve what they have. If I can serve as inspiration then I am very pleased!

Ah I know in this hobby there's always someone with more knowledge and a better tank

 

[tyguy7760]

This thread makes me want to try saltwater. It's going to have to wait though as I'm in the process of upgrading to a 75 FW. One day though...one day

 

[Kwig]

Slug, beautiful tank. Do you have any favorite books or websites that catalog corals, with pictures and maybe categorizing good beginner options? That's the biggest thing holding me back. My favorite aspect of my freshwater tanks are all the different plants. But there seem to be trillions of different corals and such that it's overwhelming.

I really want to do a 20 long or something similarly short and wide, even though I know bigger is easier.

 

[tyguy7760]

Yeah would love to do a 20 long or high saltwater with some basic corals but the upfront cost for lights and RO/DI system scares me away.

 

[Kwig]

Yeah would love to do a 20 long or high saltwater with some basic corals but the upfront cost for lights and RO/DI system scares me away.

You could do a banded pipefish for pest control! You know, for pests, not because they resemble the kuhlI loaches I know you love so much.
Slug, would you mind sharing how much you've spent on this build? I know it's more advanced because it houses SPS and you have some nice gadgets, but I'm just really curious.

 

[tyguy7760]

Haha indeed

 

[Slug]

Thanks! I don't know of any real catalog sites. I kind of just saw other people's tanks and pointed out a coral and asked about it to learn myself. At least SPS wise. 20 Longs are nice. I'd love to upgrade this tank and get some length to it rather than it just a small cube.

Costs are a bit scary to calculate lol. I calculated it about a year ago on this site and it came up just short of $3k total ($2700 roughly). Not including consumables like salt, two part dosing, or food. And not including another $1k or so in livestock I lost in a crash prior to the tank now. Keep in mind, I have bells and whistles and SPS. Drives the cost up. The frags can be upwards of $50 themselves, and I run a $600-700 controller on the tank. So your milage may vary. I think $5k total would be top/high end on a 20gal type of tank with all of the bells and whistles. One thing about reefs is you can ALWAYS find a way to spend the money, do you need to? Probably not in a lot of cases.

 

[frostbite73]

Just set up my nano last week spent quiet a bit of money on gear but it will be worth it if it turns out half as gorgeous as yours does. Top notch tank.

 

[Slug]

Thanks! Dealing with brown algae currently. Had to move my RO unit so my WCs suffered for a while. Want to get some phosphate media as well to really zap it but it's slowly getting back to normal.

 

[UnkeptSpoon50]

Wow that looks great. Keep up the good work!

 

[tylermitchell]

What is that large green coral in the front? Loving how it pulls your eye in

 

[Slug]

Thanks! That is exactly why it's there! Haha, it's one of my all time favorites because of it's vibrancy. It's called Green Slimer. One of the easier SPS to keep, usually really abundant, very easy to grow. For being such a "simple" and common SPS it is one of the best ones to have in a tank simply for the pop it gives.

The only problem with where I put it is it's such a good grower that it leaves no room for anything else around it so you have to place it knowing it's going to grow faster than most others you have near it.

 

[tylermitchell]

Thanks! I just started a 17gal nano reef and I'm trying make sure I plan out my corals accordingly for this one because it's going to be a challenge. Thanks for the info!

 

[Slug]

It's still filthy, but it's still very much alive! Honestly been at least a month since a WC, maybe more. No dosing for months now. Who said SPS were hard? And in a nano? I believe it's 2 years old now, 3 years counting the 1 year crash.
fts Dec 2016 by Matt, on Flickr
fts Dec 2016 by Matt, on Flickr
Coral Tops by Matt, on Flickr
Needles in a Haystack by Matt, on Flickr
CalI Tort by Matt, on Flickr
Green Slimer by Matt, on Flickr
Warfare by Matt, on Flickr

 

[TikiBird]

SO gorgeous, Slug!! I just wanted to pop in and say thanks for your pics over the years...they helped inspire me to start my own reef tank! (Yours is, however, much prettier )

 

[tyguy7760]

I love this tank

 

[Slug]

Thanks!!

 

[stella1979]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Slug for sharing this with us! Truly inspiring!

 

[tylermitchell]

Love it Slug! Any new progress?

 

[Slug]

Hey, no real new updates. I kind of got lax, had a lot of stuff going on and the tank has kind of stagnated. Still have it running, clowns are still doing fine but the tank is a pretty big algae and nutrient mess. Lost a few frags, and some of the larger colonies have lost some tissue from lack of water changes I suppose. But it's still kicking. Slowly and surely trying to get it back to life.

 

[stella1979]

Yay, yay, yay! So glad to hear it's still going... your tank was a huge inspiration for me to get started in Saltwater again.

 

[grantm91]

Wow the photography on this thread is out of this world.

 

[stella1979]

Wow the photography on this thread is out of this world.

I know, right!!! Have you been here before Grant?

 

[grantm91]

I know, right!!! Have you been here before Grant?

I came across it but never looked in as much detail just looked at all of it lol, I need my eyes testing as that camera sees more than my eyeball lol. Awesome little nano, is there a "show off your nano reef" thread because I think we need one, nano reef tanks are the best thing ever got in to I love them and this is a stunning example.

 

[Nart]

Beautiful pictures and very solid tank.

 

[Slug]

Thanks all. I like to think my photography is a strong suit I take pride in it!

 

[stella1979]

How's the tank Slug? Your build remains an inspiration to me. Seeing your photos is what got me to stop thinking about a reef tank and finally start one.

Also, that sad story about losing everything because of the freshwater incident always remains in the back of my mind. I think it is a good lesson though, and because of it, I've advised lots of newbies on the merits of ALWAYS checking the salinity of new water. Thanks again for sharing the journey with your magnificent tank.