iamsickofitall's Nano Wave 9 reef build

Since my tank is nearly done cycling, I figured I'd finally stop lurking and start my build thread. I had originally signed up to use the search button in specific forums before deciding I wanted to take on the task of keeping a nano reef, let alone a SW tank. The last time I had experience with a SW tank was 15 years ago when I was 11...and at that age, I wasn't allowed to do too much with it or grandpa would kill me.

I first got my NW9 on 2/24/2009 tossed it together. I started off with:

Bagged LS (yes, I know it's not the best but I want to keep my hitchhiker population to a minimum since it's such a small tank)
50W Heater
Koralia Nano
Petco mag scrubber
Coralife thermometer
Refractometer, test kits for just about everything, etc.
A couple of Home Depot timers
RO/DI unit

I decided the tank sucked in stock form, so I started modding as I waited for my rock to arrive from marcorocks. I removed the ballast from under the hood and got rid of the crappy stock LED moolights. The ballast was then mounted on the wall behind the tank to help with heat buildup and new stickyback 3 led lights from autolumination.com were installed in their place and blacked out a little since they were too bright. I also installed a small blue LED rope light under the hood to really make this thing glow with the lights out if I wanted to. With all this done, my tank temperatures peak at 81.4* F and drop to 79* overnight when my heater is going.

Right now I have filter floss in place of the stock sponge and LR rubble in my fuge area. The bio beads (or whatever you want to call them) have been removed and my ground probe and heater are now in that chamber.

I'm now getting ready to toss some chaeto in my fuge chamber to help combat the diatoms that are now beginning to take over my tank. Once my nitrates start to drop, I'll toss in some snails to go to town on what's still hanging around.

Eventually, I plan on having a couple of shrimp, a couple LPS, some softies and most likely a small clown species.

Now here's the pics (you'll have to excuse the quality since i have shaky hands and no tripod to set the camera up for proper shots, so the colors do seem a little bland). I'm also a little iffy on my aquascape, so don't poke fun. I think it looks too much like a mountain peak at the top, but right now, that's pretty much the only way to get good flow in and around the rocks.

wide shot of initial setup


factory moonlights on


FTS


side shot


from the top


with my LED rope lights on - my camera really doesn't do this any justice. it is so much bluer in person.


with my new LED moonlights on


shot of my hood with the new moonlights on


and a random shot of the snowbeast that somehow made it into this folder

 

Nice tank!! Good luck with everything, cant wait to see living stuff in there!!

oh and cool doggy!

 

That is one big Dog Face Puffer

 

UPDATE:

I added about a half dozen dwarf planaxis and dwarf ceriths to the tank a couple weeks ago to start working on cleaning things up and got a ball of chaeto. I tossed half of the chaeto in the fuge chamber which is on a reverse lighting schedule from the main display and tossed the other half in the rocks that sit just below the main blast of the koralia nano. I figure this should help it get good flow and make the slow growth of the algae on the rocks next to it shrink down an hopefully disappear. I already changed the timer on the main display to only give it 8 hours of light.

I'm still not sure where I'm going with the tank, as you can tell there is nothing in there yet, but I'm taking a trip to the LFS this week and will probably at least come home with a new fish to plop in there...possibly a frag or two of something if that nuissance algae starts shrinking. I don't want to have to find out that I'm going to have an epic battle with algae and starve my main display of light.

Anyway, here's a few new pics:

FTS


a couple of my snails

 

Nice setup.. I really like these cubes!

 

Yay! Another Nano Waver! Mine has a mantis shrimp as well as a 3 stripe damsel in it. No added flow. And I installed some cooing fans from nano customs that keep the temp from about high 77's-78 at night, then max 80 during the day.

These all in ones get HOT when they aren't modded. I was hitting 82 in Feb at the time. I can't imagine what July would do to it

I also have some xenia in mine that is starting to grow like crazy. And I still have some cycling algae leftovers. But that's about it. I have one big snail in there, but I can't have too much of a CUC or else Princess will kill them all.

 

is that tank sitting on a fridge?

 

yeah...it was nice to have a free stand already set up in my room

 

Great tank! Cant wait to see your progress! Awesome light mods!

 

This looks amaazing!!! How many lbs of rock is that and whered ya get it?


LOL... looks amazing