JuiCE_1080's 5.5 Gallon Reef Diary

juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
Just finished this project. Other than making a glass top that hinges the right way and adding more LR and creatures its ready.
5.5 Gallon AGA Tank 16" X 8" X 10"
Coralife Aqualight 2 X 9w PC
Black Plexiglass to make the "sump" area in the back which has a refugium (I am guessing around 1/2 Gallon)
The tank is oriented the opposite way meaning the 8" side is the front.
10-15# Dry sand
2-3# LR
Water flows from the tank into the fuge then through a phosphate and carbon pad then back into the tank via Minijet 606.
So far my plans were a Pistol/Goby combo but I kinda want to explore my other options first.
I was going to make this a Soft Coral tank.
Any suggestions on stocking this thing are welcome.
Cleanup crew will consist of a Nass snail, Blue Hermit, and maybe a small Emerald or something.
Pictures will be coming shortly!
 
krista921

krista921

Member
very cool. welcome to the 5.5 gallon club:). its gonna look awsome stuffed with corals and stuff. i like your rock alot. and keep us updated!
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
Originally Posted by Krista921
http:///forum/post/2454690
very cool. welcome to the 5.5 gallon club:). its gonna look awsome stuffed with corals and stuff. i like your rock alot. and keep us updated!
How hard is it to keep your parameters stable in yours? I have already noticed it does not take much salt at all to change the SG.
What lighting do you have on yours? I am not sure if I like this light setup and I want to find a new one but small fixtures aren't all that easy to find.
 
paintballer768

paintballer768

Active Member
Originally Posted by juice_1080
http:///forum/post/2455620
Definitely one of my favorite posters in the room, there are better ones in here though.

Very nice haha. Back to the tank though, I like the conch shell. Cover that thing in a nice colony of zoanthids and it would look amazing. Or maybe somewhere down the line but an SPS frag in a hole on it and it would look awesome too.
Zoanthids would look really good on that tonga branch as well
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
First sign of hitchhikers already today.
Theres a bunch of TINY snails roaming around most aren't even a mm around.
I also picked alot of LR that had sponges on it so there is some sponge in my tank.
Found 2 Zoas on a rock as well. They aren't open and who knows if they will make it but it will be something interesting to look for.
I pulled a small Blue Leg Hermit out of my 29g and threw him in so I have something a little bigger to keep it clean, he seems to be just chillin on a rock and not grazing. I'm sure he's just full from my other tank though.
I also threw some Grape Calupera from my 29g into the fuge section to test if there is enough light entering the fuge to keep grape or cheato alive.
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
I don't know if SPS would survive with only 18w PC but right now I am trying to find something a little bigger. The fixture I have now is only 8" and it doesn't effectively light the entire tank. I would like to find like a 14-16" fixture for it.
The tank still looks a little hazy but since I was using brand new water and sand that is probably why.
I haven't tested anything but the SG yet but I will most likely do that after classes tomorrow.
SG-1.026 w/ Refractometer......PERFECT after all that messing around.
This is way different than adjusting it in my 29g.
I redid the rockwork because everything got covered with sand while I was adjusting the pump
 
yerboy

yerboy

Active Member
i had a 70w mh viper clip on over my 5.5gallon. take a look at the 70w or maybe even some T5s or even 150w mh.. gl with your tank.
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
MH are a little bit more than I am looking to spend on this little guy. I have been unable to find any T-5's that would fit on this and not hang over. Its not my main tank just a little experiment/desk aquarium and it will probably go on my kitchen counter when I move to my new place. There just isn't enough counter space in my current kitchen.
I just checked the good old auc tion site and I saw some 70w MH flood lights for like $80 shipped does anybody think this will work make something to hold it over my tank and replace the bulb with a 14k bulb? Or is this an entirely different kind of metal halide?
 
krista921

krista921

Member
Originally Posted by juice_1080
http:///forum/post/2455471
How hard is it to keep your parameters stable in yours? I have already noticed it does not take much salt at all to change the SG.
What lighting do you have on yours? I am not sure if I like this light setup and I want to find a new one but small fixtures aren't all that easy to find.
i dont really have a problem with it weekly water changes and fresh water top offs everyother day work well for me.
i only have 20 watts of pc right now but im also lookin for something better once i get my tax returns :)
 
fuz_munky

fuz_munky

Member
WOW! great tank. how much has it costed you so far? and what do you ave hooked up cause i was thinking of doing a <10G tank
P.S. can we see some more posters!
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
Originally Posted by fuz_munky
http:///forum/post/2456220
WOW! great tank. how much has it costed you so far? and what do you ave hooked up cause i was thinking of doing a <10G tank
P.S. can we see some more posters!
Tank: $10
1/8" Black Plexiglass: $5
Coralife Aqualight: $35 (already had it for my QT though)
Minijet 606 pump: $17
10' of 1/2" Tubing: $3
1/2" PVC Elbow: $0.40
Cut-to-fit Carbon Pad: $5
10-15# Dry Sand: $10 (not positive on the price had it sitting around for the past 6 months)
2# LR: $12
Mag Float:$10

[hr]
Grand Total: $108ish
What I had to buy that I didn't have: $63ish
As far as how it is setup:
The back 4" of the tank is sectioned off by plexiglass that runs to the top of the tank
On the left side of the tank there is a 3" X 1/2" slot cut out of the top for the water to flow into the fuge.
The fuge is 4" X 5"
The water flows from the tank into the fuge and then into the return area which is sectioned off with a 8" wall that the water flows over. At the top of the wall there is a chunk of carbon pad and a chunk of phosphate pad. I think I am going to build a tray for these pads to sit on out of eggcrate when I get the chance. Once the water flows through the pads it is pumped back into the main area of the tank via the Minijet 606 which is connected to the tubing. The tubing goes through a hole in the plexiglass wall and has the 1/2" elbow attached to it to direct the flow.
I haven't decided whether I should use the elbow or take it off but it is just crammed on the flexible tubing so it can be removed.
I think I am going to take this tank apart and get some new plexiglass and redo it since I kind of rushed it and am not happy with the results of the cutting it. I didn't score it quite deep enough so the breaks didn't completely follow my score marks. I ended up using alot of Silicone to fill in the uneven seam. All in all it under an hour to put it all together. Then I just had to wait the 24 Hours for the silicone to cure.
If you are planning on doing this have fun trying to find black plexiglass. I went to about 10 different places until I was finally directed to a glass shop. When I got to the glass shop the guy was extremely rude and not very helpful. He said he didn't have black plexiglass but I found it when I looked through the samples. I showed the sample he had and he made a big deal out of having to cut it for me. I got it home only to find that he cut me a tinted plexiglass NOT the black that I showed him I wanted. This is another reason I will be taking it apart to do it over again. Needless to say I won't be going to that place ever again.
P.S. I don't think the mods will appreciate the posters too much.
 
juice_1080

juice_1080

Member
Anybody have any ideas for a stocklist? I was thinking of a pistol shrimp + goby combo but I want to know what my other options are before I get set on that.
Maybe a nice Achilles Tang and a Green Moray Eel?

Just Kidding
 
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