The Coral Cavern - 25g Shallow Reef

This tank has been running since August 2016. I started out really slow with only a few fish and frags. I didn't really start stocking the tank until the last couple of months which has worked out great since the tank has become super stable. I plan on stocking this tank up and growing it out so I have an excuse to upgrade!

I also run a YouTube channel called Saltwater Scoop where I make videos featuring interesting topics in the hobby. My latest video was inspired by Halloween and is all about creepy hitchhikers.

Build Specs
✓ Aquarium: Drilled Innovative Marine Nuvo Black 25
✓ Stand: Custom Birch Plywood 24" x 20" x 36.5"
✓ Lighting: Nano Box Duo Plus M
✓ Water Movement: MP10W ES
✓ Controller: Reef Keeper 2
✓ Skimmer: SC-65
✓ ATO: Tsunami AT1
✓ Heater: Aquatop Quartz Glass Submersible Heaters 150W
✓ Overflow/Return: Glass-Holes Overflow & Return kit
✓ Return Pump: Tunze Recirculation Silence 634 GPH
✓ Sump: Eshopps RS-75 Reef Sump
✓ Live Rock: KPA Liverock 25 lbs in display and 5 lbs in sump
✓ Sand: Tropic Eden Reef flakes 20 lbs

Fish/Inverts
✓ Tail Spot Blenny
✓ ORA Extreme Misbar Ocellaris Clownfish (in sump...he is satan :vamp
✓ Yellow Clown Goby
✓ Large Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (named long john)
✓ Small Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (named lil john)

Coral
✓ ORA Neon Green Sinularia Finger Leather
✓ ORA Green Zoas
✓ Blue Sympodium Colony
✓ Butternut Stylophora
✓ Australian Red Blasto
✓ Red Sea Pom Pom Xenia

Here are some current pictures (November 2017)
















I placed an order with Cherry Corals yesterday so I should have pictures of my new additions soon!

 

WOW!!! Absolutely magnificent!!!!

 

That tank is absolutely gorgeous!! Love it

 

Those corals are gorgeous!!

 

I've been waiting for this thread. Watched your vids a few days ago, great stuff!

Beautiful tank! Love the sympodiums, hope mine grow as well as your's have. Looking forward to seeing those Cherry Corals.

 

WOW!!! Absolutely magnificent!!!!

That tank is absolutely gorgeous!! Love it

Those corals are gorgeous!!

I've been waiting for this thread. Watched your vids a few days ago, great stuff!
Beautiful tank! Love the sympodiums, hope mine grow as well as your's have. Looking forward to seeing those Cherry Corals.

Thank you all! Y'all are definitely going to give me the motivation to get it stocked and looking good! I went home on my lunch break and added the new corals to the tank. That's right, I ordered them yesterday and they are in the tank today....Cherry Corals doesn't mess around and their packaging was the best I've ever seen (first time ordering from them). I'll try to update with pictures as soon as I can.

 

Very nice set-up.

Glad you have another IM25 onboard
I really wished I would've gone with the black series so I can have a bit more foot-print and fully utilize a bottom sump.

 

Very nice set-up.

Glad you have another IM25 onboard
I really wished I would've gone with the black series so I can have a bit more foot-print and fully utilize a bottom sump.

Thanks! The IM Fusion Lagoon 25 has low-iron glass and black silicone. The NUVO black series uses regular glass and clear silicone.

 

Cherry Corals packaging is top notch.



I added the Lemon Lime Octospawn, Acan, and the Zoas (Super Keds Reds, Whodas Cat Eyes, Gobstoppers, Sunny Delights, and Punk Rock Girls) to the tank and mounted them today. Here are some pictures of the Acan and Octospawn...which turned out to be just a green frogspawn/octopspawn so I might contact Cherry Corals to see if this is right. The picture of what I ordered looks nothing like this (it's supposed to be bright yellow).

 

I tried to get some pictures of the Sunny Delights (left) and Gobstoppers (right), but I'm still having trouble.



GSP (why not )



Yellow Octospawn...that turned out to be green



Actual Green Frogspawn...it's getting huge (you can see the "Punk Rock Girls" on left)



I moved the lights from directly over the zoas and maybe got a better pic? Top down shots + light + blue sympodium makes my camera upset



"Punk Rock Girls" + Tail Spot Blenny

 

I'm looking to add new fish. Peaceful and colorful are my only requirements. I'm thinking about maybe a mated clownfish pair, a firefish, or maybe cardinalfish.

Do any of you have some suggestions?

 

I always wish I got a fire fish, and at least one clown is a must to me in a nano tank lol, the cardinals are not the brightest of colors, but they still pop, I have a banngai. Maybe how about a neon goby,
I love mine, such a cool addition and so small, a real good addition, its a cleaner fish. There are golds too, love your tank too by the way, its very pro, some fancy kit too, I’m envious lol.

 

Firefishes are neat. Though I've never had much luck with them staying alive for the first two weeks in my tank, so I gave up.

Here are some of my suggestions:
Two-spit bimaculatus blenny
Tail spot blenny
White banded possum wrasse
Pink-streaked wrasse
Starry-blenny

Agreed with Grant - Neon gobies are cool too.

 

Another vote for a firefish! I've had mine for almost 6 months and he's a lot of fun.

 

I always wish I got a fire fish, and at least one clown is a must to me in a nano tank lol, the cardinals are not the brightest of colors, but they still pop, I have a banngai. Maybe how about a neon goby, View attachment 376433 I love mine, such a cool addition and so small, a real good addition, its a cleaner fish. There are golds too, love your tank too by the way, its very pro, some fancy kit too, I’m envious lol.

Would a neon goby be ok with a clown goby? Thanks! I need to post a picture of the sump/filtration area.

Firefishes are neat. Though I've never had much luck with them staying alive for the first two weeks in my tank, so I gave up.

Here are some of my suggestions:
Two-spit bimaculatus blenny
Tail spot blenny
White banded possum wrasse
Pink-streaked wrasse
Starry-blenny

Agreed with Grant - Neon gobies are cool too.

I have a tail spot and love em! Idk if I should mix blennies. The possum wrasses look neat. The Pink-Streaked might be a winner.

Another vote for a firefish! I've had mine for almost 6 months and he's a lot of fun.

I might look for a pair. They really are cool fish.

 

SaltwaterScoop I looked into putting those two together my self, I found info saying they would hide, and that gobbies are territorial, but personally I think they are both so small and different from one another they would just ignore one another. Id do it, I love the clown goby too, the perfect nano fish I think, also them starry blennys are hilarious to look at, that's a good sugestion.

 

Blennies I don't think can mix. My starry blenny can be quite bossy, so I can't even imagine having another blenny in a small tank.

 

I think I'm going to keep checking the Live Aquaria Diver's Den everyday until a pair of something awesome/peaceful/nano-suitable shows up.

 

Just found this thread. Beautiful tank! Looks like your corals are all thriving and happy. I love the rockscaping, looks really good. It looks really really natural

 

Just found this thread. Beautiful tank! Looks like your corals are all thriving and happy. I love the rockscaping, looks really good. It looks really really natural

Thank you! I strive to achieve a natural and minimal look. I'd like more negative space, but I really liked the "claw" rockwork that came about after I redid my first scape, which was a 2 pillar/crevice look. I'll add a picture of the old scapes if any of you are interested.

I'll try to upload a new FTS today since I mounted all of my new corals.

 

I'd love to see old scapes! Looking forward to the new FTS too! You had me looking at Cherry Corals and dang, they've got some nice stuff! I'm a big fan of WWC, particularly since they are in FL and so am I. Can't turn down those in state shipping discounts!

 

I'd love to see old scapes! Looking forward to the new FTS too! You had me looking at Cherry Corals and dang, they've got some nice stuff! I'm a big fan of WWC, particularly since they are in FL and so am I. Can't turn down those in state shipping discounts!

I'll post them when I get home from work. I went to WWC when I went to Halloween Horror Nights this year and I was blown away. We have some nice places in Atlanta like Pure Reef but WWC's display tanks and organization was the best I've ever seen! The large green frogspawn in my tank is from there!

 

I'd love an old FTS! Did you scape out of the tank? Did you use epoxy? I'm getting ready/working on building my scape (mainly just working on rough ideas right now) so I'm trying to gather as much info as I can

 

I'd love an old FTS! Did you scape out of the tank? Did you use epoxy? I'm getting ready/working on building my scape (mainly just working on rough ideas right now) so I'm trying to gather as much info as I can

I love aquascaping and admiring aquascapes. Since my rock was uncured and shipped overnight from KPA, I immediately put it into the tank and scaped it then. I had an idea to do the crevice look and went with that. Nothing was in the tank yet except for saltwater and sand, and I cycled with the uncured rock.

 

Hey Scoop Still hoping for those old scape shots as well as a new FTS.