14 Gallon Peninsula SPS Tank

[kerber13]

Hey guys,
So I recently set up an Innovative Marine 14 gal Peninsula tank. I have been away from the hobby for about a year now and the itch to return has finally become too strong. Therefore, here I am with a 14 gallon peninsula tank. I'm very happy with the tan, it is a really nice looking aquarium and is all in one. It is exactly what I need as I will be moving it back and forth from home to school and back. To make that easier on myself, the structure is one piece and held together by two different epoxies. It is built super strong. If you guys have any suggestions or comments please share them with me. I can't wait to take you along with me on this adventure!!! Pics of tank filled with light on tomorrow!

Equipment
14 gallon IM Fusion Peninsula Tank
APS Nuvo Stand
75W Heater
Corallife digital thermometer
Stock 211 GPH pump
Filter Sock
Bag with BRS ROX 0.8 Carbon
Hydor Koralia Nano 425
Auqa Gadget IM ATO w/ IM Pump and 5 G Reservoir
Coral Compulsion Par 38 20K Full Spectrum Light (will need upgrade to better cover full tank for SPS)
Aragonite Reef Sand
12-15 lbs Reef Saver BRS dry rock

Future Plans
Upgrade the lighting
Turn the middle chamber into a refugium
Get the media caddy for the first chamber

Potential Stock
Snowflake Clownfish
1" Potters Angel
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Mr. Belvedere)
LOTS of SPS

Thanks,
Kerber13

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[shift9k]

Nice! Fighting the urge to setup another tank myself.

 

[triquarium]

Literally doing the same thing right now but with the 20 gallon. Good luck! I'll probably start a thread too once I get more stuff. What lights are you going to go with and what is going to be your power head situation?

 

[kerber13]

I'm looking at the AI Prime Unit but if I can find a used Hydra 26 or Radion xr15w, that might be my go to. Its seriously tough to get even lighting on it, could only imagine what it'll be like for the 20 gal. I really wanted the 20gal, but it wasnt gonna be as easy to move around, so I settled on the 14gal. Please do a thread, the 20 g peninsulas are seriously beautiful tanks. As far as powerhead I noticed I totally forget to put it up there, I have the Hydor Koralia nano 425. Which (in addition to the return) gives me 636 GPH of circulation or about 45x turnover. May be adding a Nano 240 to supplement if i find it necessary.
[MENTION=3897]shift9k[/MENTION] the itch is so tough my man, stay strong if you need to, if not, cave to the addiction

 

[york3rdbase]

Looks like a good start! I started with a 17, but ran out of room. There are a few used lights for sale on here, just look around.
Looking forward to seeing this.


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[kerber13]

Looks like a good start! I started with a 17, but ran out of room. There are a few used lights for sale on here, just look around.
Looking forward to seeing this.


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Thank You! Yes, I saw the for sale threads, super tempting, however, I need to let the bank recover a bit before I can upgrade the light hehe

 

[Bella Reefs]

Look at new post on the forum I saw someone selling hydras hd and ai primes as well also used

 

[kerber13]

Hey guys, little update, the tank has finished cycling (been going for about a week or so and was seeded with live rubble rock), I will be doing a water change tomorrow, and waiting another week before adding any life to be sure that the cycle has completed.
Thanks,
Erik

 

[kerber13]

Hey guys,
Quick question here. I want to do an SPS only tank, however, I dont want to run a skimmer. My current plan is to have the first chamber: filter floss, GFO, and Carbon. Next chamber will be a refugium, and last chamber the return section. I plan on keeping AT MOST 3 fish in the tank and performing 5 gal water changes every week. What do you guys think? can i go skimmerless and still keep SPS?
Thanks,
Erik

 

[IHaveCrabs]

Hey guys,
Quick question here. I want to do an SPS only tank, however, I dont want to run a skimmer. My current plan is to have the first chamber: filter floss, GFO, and Carbon. Next chamber will be a refugium, and last chamber the return section. I plan on keeping AT MOST 3 fish in the tank and performing 5 gal water changes every week. What do you guys think? can i go skimmerless and still keep SPS?
Thanks,
Erik

Skimmer pulls out around 30% of a tanks DOCs. You'd either have to replace that with water changes, growing algae, or another form of export. Can it be done? Sure. Is it going to be an interesting ride, definitely.. Smaller tanks parameters swing more naturally since the water volume is so slow and with the tank/rock/sand being new, it will take a long while to stabilize. Start slow with some easier SPS like a green slimer, birdsnest, or stylo to get a feel for it and learn the intricacies of the tank.

Looking forward to the progress!

 

[bulldog0407]

Hey guys,
Quick question here. I want to do an SPS only tank, however, I dont want to run a skimmer. My current plan is to have the first chamber: filter floss, GFO, and Carbon. Next chamber will be a refugium, and last chamber the return section. I plan on keeping AT MOST 3 fish in the tank and performing 5 gal water changes every week. What do you guys think? can i go skimmerless and still keep SPS?
Thanks,
Erik

Why do you want to go skimmerless? Is it space issue? I had the Nuvo 16 gal for 3 years, SPS Dominate and it needed a skimmer. I am not sure that the chamber is going to give the refugium you want due to the water volume being small back there. I ran the AquaEuro Systems Nano Protein Skimmer. Fit perfectly in the chamber and pulled out a ton. As always each tank is different so I would say try it, worst case you'd need a Skimmer down the road. Just watch your levels. Here is the Skimmer I used.

View attachment 21879

 

[kerber13]

Firstly, Thank you for the comments, definitely food for thought.

It isn't necessarily that I don't want a skimmer, it is one of the most useful and important pieces of equipment. The reason I'm trying not to get one is because I like the look of the aquarium relatively unhindered by equipment, with the skimmer there'd be a big collection cup sticking out (However, with some DIY i'm sure I could figure out how to cover that area). Secondly, the middle back chamber isnt very large so very few GOOD skimmers would fit back there. The IM Ghost Desktop skimmer specially made for the space is not only way overpriced, but it has pretty bad reviews. Hence my current dilemma.

Thanks,
Erik