Slowly attempting a reef tank again

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Mudslinger14

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2010
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Hi all, long time no see! So for the past year I've had a 14 gallon biocube with about 10lbs of live rock, one lonely damsel and a small number of snails/hermits. The lights and fans blew on the stock hood, so instead of spending $100 to purchase new fans and bulbs, why not upgrade? I found the Ecoxotic panorama pro led modules, and figured 2 would easily fit in my hood. They look great and ive found a deal for some pretty cheap. Would these be adequate in a 14 gallon tank for zoas, ricordeas, mushrooms and [blank] - fill me in please?

Now, I have tried to keep corals in the past. It failed. Miserably. I've been doing a lot of research on softies and I'm actually in a marine biology class so even when I'm not focusing on fish, I'm taking exams about them :D

I plan on keeping my damsel in the tank as the sole fish but I want to add some inverts down the line. Any input?

Also I tested the tank yesterday,
Ph - 8.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrates - 0
Nitrites - 0

So there isn't a lot happening and I think this is because of there only being one fish, and the lights haven't been on in weeks. The tank is still lit from lights in other rooms so the fish isn't totally blind yet ;)
 
In fact, I've read that one panorama pro is more than enough for a 14 gallon biocube...any opinions?
 
Tank has been running about a year now with water changes every two weeks of 15-20%.
 
Personally, ur water is fine. Lighting is the main issue. I just got out of the salt hobby after several years with a 90g reef. Became entirely too much work and not so much hobby anymore. Anyway, I had 700w's of light on my 90 and it was way more than enough. Flow and lighting seem to be the key. I have a load of powerheads if your interested. Good Luck!
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what the turnover from the main pump is, but I've got a koralia power head that gives out I think 240gph, so I'll mess with the live rock and the flow later on.
 
240 intank flow is plenty - mushrooms + polyps are pretty easy so long as they get feed phytoplankton. with your flow and light with limited space - sps encrusting gorganians would be my suggestion just add zooplankton to the feedings.
 
Alright cool. I'm gonna start really slow and easy...one coral frag at a time probably. I'll update when I get things rolling. Thanks guys.
 
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