Cycling & Adding First Corals to the Reef Casa Studio 12 | Nano Reef Tank Setup Part 3

[@ReefDork]

Here's part 4 - adding first fish and coral update ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWK1imN7erKJirM

[@dereks3207]

utter chaos look sooo good, but man, they takeover FAST.

[@maebholeary2734]

Those are gorgeous! I'm thinking of adding my first coral to my nano soon too 🎉

[@jaysrealreefuk]

Really enjoying the reef casa series. It's a beautiful little nano tank and the setting for the tank looks perfect. Excited to see your fish choice. Merry Christmas to your family 👍

[@TomoBishBosh]

Whoa whoa Barbour? Not Ralph Lauren? Alex what’s happening?! Good to see the next update so soon! Especially after what you said on the live show and wanted to make videos

[@jtdr2023]

Two Reef Dork videos in two days. #Blessed. I think that’s how you do that. I’m old.

[@ReefDork]

🤣

[@reformedsoteriology]

So ammonia does not hurt corals (within reason)? I imagine nitrite is also not a huge concern?

[@ReefDork]

That's my understanding, so long as it goes away when the cycle completes. It's not harmful to fish in saltwater so it's common not to test nitrite at all.

[@drew-shourd]

Nice tank for sure. Can't agree that that's the best location, on top of a washer and dryer aye m8? Between the vibration and heat variances, was that the only spot you had lad?

[@jonathanstephens7804]

Looking good. Do you find the salinity to be out with the low temp?

[@ReefDork]

No, any salinity measuring device compensates for temperature so they should still read correctly

[@jonathanstephens7804]

@@ReefDork fair point :)

[@robertjeffrey6681]

Hi could you tell me where you can get the ammonia chloride from . I have been trying everywhere in the uk for some but its always sold out . Many thanks

[@ReefDork]

It just came with the kit - i've only every bought whatever I can get from my LFS I'm afraid

[@robertjeffrey6681]

No problem thanks for letting me know. I bought the dr tims all in 1 and would rather do a fishless cycle than live fish .

[@mryes413]

Are there any plans for 2024?

[@ReefDork]

Update video with future plans going live this Friday 🙂

[@Noodur1]

Prospective first time reefer question… how low above the water could I get away with setting the light? I have a great spot in my living room, but not a ton of clearance below the built in cabinet above. Also, any opinion on their larger Studio 24 model? Would hate to limit what fish I could support. Thanks!

[@ReefDork]

If you want it close to the water surface, go for an AI Blade instead. 24 would be better but all small tanks are limited on fish choices

[@FoolOfATuque]

Height allows the par to be more evenly spread throughout the tank and helps avoid hotspots. Height can have a lot of factors such as the dimensions of the tank, light you are using, and quantity of lights. Strip lights, like the AI blade, are good for even distribution compared to the primes, hydras, etc. I have a friend who has a single 30" blade grow mounted on his Waterbox Marine X 90.3 with the elevated mount that puts it ~3" above the water and it lights the tank really well. Corals are growing and happy and the single light is sufficient for LPS corals on his tank. The only issue with the Blade Grow lights is they lack the UV that Hydras, Primes, and Radions have so the color you see in the coral shop may be a bit lacking when you get them home in your tank. The solution is to add a Blade Grow to the system, but you can add that later very easily. Happy reefing!

[@FoolOfATuque]

One more thing. Reef Casa is owned by March from FragBox Corals. He has some pretty good videos on his channel FragboxTV and has some series on setting up his tanks. Recently they set one up with a mantis shrimp.

[@Noodur1]

Thanks guys. I’ve watched some of the Fragbox guy’s videos, so maybe I’ll reach out. I have a small wet bar recessed into the wall of my living room. It’s the perfect spot for an aquarium… very visible, kind of the center of the house, no direct sunlight, and even a small sink in the counter for easy cleanup and disposal during water changes. I think my kids would love it. The problem is there’s a cabinet over the empty counter side of it that is about 15.5” above the counter. I considered trying to max out the counter with as large a tank as possible and then put a sump tank in the cabinet underneath, but I’d have to cut holes in the wall or tile counter to run tubing, and I’m an absolute beginner. Looking forward to future videos as this tank progresses.

[@smokeandkippers]

Don’t forget you need a fair bit of clearance to get your arm in for maintenance. And, salt water evaporation will eventually warp the cabinet. Personally, if it’s a long term project I would utilise the space and modify or remove the cabinet, box in the lights and frame the display. You could even add a section to the sump down pipe to the sink waste pipe for easy water changes. By the time you’ve spent the money on kit you might as well spend a bit more on the cabinet if you want to keep corals because lighting is so important. If it’s fish only then the light isn’t an issue.

[@chrisallan-lancashirereef5130]

Nice watch….

[@FoolOfATuque]

Where you at March? Lol!

[@x1cculusx]

Fluval Evo 13.5 vs. Reef Casa Studio 12. What is your pick?

[@ReefDork]

Reef Casa is much nicer but also more expensive

[@x1cculusx]

@@ReefDork Ahh ok thanks. I've been looking around for a nano tank to get back into the hobby. I was looking at those two, but then decided to go with the Fusion 15 desktop. Thanks again.