Cali Kid Corals

PizzaOven '25 Budget Build

PizzaOven said:
December update
  • Corals are doing OK for the most part, some better than others. Most are just surviving, rather than thriving. The favia/favites and green digi seem to be the exception. They are doing really well. Digi has started to encrust the back glass.
  • Moved the Weeping Willow Leather and Red Death Palys to my macroalgae tank.
  • Clown goby passed away from ich/velvet (not sure which) =(
I'll probably break this down soon and transfer livestock to my other tanks (after finishing 8-week fallow period). It was a fun challenge with plenty of lessons learned. This was significantly harder than I thought it would be, the tank never really took off like I hoped. I would go for something bigger in the future for better stability.

Final Cost: $356.48

View attachment 76033View attachment 76032
Click to expand...
After the full year, what would be your top things you would have done differently vs. what worked well?
 
Darkxerox said:
After the full year, what would be your top things you would have done differently vs. what worked well?
Click to expand...
Things that I think worked well:
  • HOB filter with a surface skimmer. This thing worked great to keep biofilm away.
  • Noo-Psyche k7 mini. Love this light and very affordable. The app sucks, but this goes for most lights.
  • Gravity fed ATO. These are cheap, simple, and work great (although unsightly).
  • Starting with mature rock/substrate. I think it would have been an even more uphill battle with dry rock.
Things that didn't work well.
  • Dosing N/P. The first time I did this kicked off a weird bacterial bloom which I never really recovered from. It's still there although more manageable now. I suspect this made it difficult for good bacteria to thrive. This is just speculation on my part.
  • Small, cheap rimless tank. It eventually started leaking.
  • Flow. I found it really hard to get good flow with small pumps and HOB filters. The USB powered wavemaker was nice, but kind of noisy and drove me crazy (I removed it). At this size, it doesn't seem like there are many good options for wavemakers.
  • Stability. I blame the small water volume, but I could have made more of an effort. I think breaking up the 70% water change into two 35% water changes might have worked better (so 2 smaller water changes per week instead of one big one). Idk, I'm speculating again.
It was a humbling experience, but I had fun!
 
I was wandering around Home Depot and saw these tiny totes for $2.50. They were so darn adorable that I had to take a few home.
1768526793075.png

I decided to make a HOB filter out of it.

Drilled a hole for a bulkhead:
1768526867114.png

Created a divider with egg crate. The section on the left will hold the heater, ceramic media, and a sponge. Section on the right will be for frags.
1768526928753.png

Full of water without any leaks. Had to ditch the white bulkhead (designed for a water heater drain pan) with a proper one. So much room for activities!!
1768527313512.png

The left compartment holds a big bag of ceramic media and a filter sponge.
1768527465089.png



Next I built a box to hold the doser and the inkbird. Found the unfinished wooden box on Amazon ($13).
1768527956773.png

added a shelf and a few holes and gave the whole thing a nice millennial gray paint job with a polyurethane clear coat.
1768527587448.png


Full tank shots (also added a very appropriately sized ATO):
1768527497323.png

1768527685461.png


Currently not dosing anything yet but plan to do some N/P in one and AFR in the other.

Thanks for reading, happy reefing.

-Andrew
 

Attachments

  • 1768527758427.png
    1768527758427.png
    679.6 KB · Views: 29
PizzaOven said:
Added some new stuff from CFM.

JF Bloodshot:
View attachment 76863
Cyphastrea (Vendor told me party crasher but I think bizarro?):
View attachment 76864
Astreopora. First time I've ever heard of or seen this coral:
View attachment 76865
Beach Bum Monti:
View attachment 76868

View attachment 76866
Click to expand...
You should have let us know you were looking for beach bum, there's a lot of it in the club!

Astreopora is cool, but I don't think that's what that is. The skeleton is much more porous than astreopora should be. It looks identical to what I've been calling "micro alveopora". Not sure if it's actually alveopora, either, but it looks very similar to A. japonica and has 12 tentacles per polyp, so that's what I've been calling it.

Those zoas are cool.

The tank continues to be very cool. It's a lot nicer than a tank that size should look, which is a testament to your skill!
 
tribbitt said:
You should have let us know you were looking for beach bum, there's a lot of it in the club!
Click to expand...
Shoot! It was cheap ($10), but still!
Astreopora is cool, but I don't think that's what that is. The skeleton is much more porous than astreopora should be. It looks identical to what I've been calling "micro alveopora". Not sure if it's actually alveopora, either, but it looks very similar to A. japonica and has 12 tentacles per polyp, so that's what I've been calling it.
Click to expand...
Ah, I think you're right. Doesn't look like astreopora pics on google. The polyps do look like miniature alveopora. Whatever it is, it's probably my favorite piece I got for the pico tank.
The tank continues to be very cool. It's a lot nicer than a tank that size should look, which is a testament to your skill!
Click to expand...
Appreciate the compliment. I've got a long way to go to catch up to you lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top