From Cigarette sticks to SPS sticks

[Legent]

Hi guys,

I am starting project X-Stick and the idea came about when I suddenly visualise my cigarette in my hand as a SPS frag. I thought to myself, if i dont smoke a week, I prolly can can get 1-2 sticks of SPS frags to put in my tank! And so I am now currently going to execute this plan....

To slowly convert my tank (the chillerless, fanless, skimmerless and sumpless tank) to a full SPS tank. And every frag, every equipment, every fish will be funded by the reduction in buying the cigarette packs.

And so I need the fellow SPS pros and experienced reefers here to give me ideas on how to convert my current setup (of 1 year) into a full SPS setup.

My main idea is to have a 90% SPS japanese style tank (bonsai type) with just 2-3 nice fishes and maybe a few inverts.

Current setup and equipment is:

1. 2.5 feet 4- gallon tank sumpless.

2. MP10 wavemaker x 1

3. Maxspect razor 160w 10K version

4. MCE300 skimmer (Yes i do have a skimmer)

5. AC70 HOB for chemical filtration.

6. Cooling fan.

[Legent]

Main questions to ask the fellow pro reefers here:

1. I have a 3-4 inch sandbed. Better to go BB? If yes how to go about doing it?

2. I have dead rocks that I intend to create the bonsai structure out of tank. How do I introduce into the tank with minimal cycling?

3. Any other equipment recommended to make it work? (Apart from a sump as I cannot cannot afford to go with a sump)

4. Is it sufficient to just buy calcium chloride powder and calcium bicarbonate powder to do my own mix?

[Evolutionz]

you'll need a chiller. i used to run fan and recent weather is so hot i can only achieve 28 - 29C.. water evaporates at 1L/day for a 34L tank and topping off with distilled water weekly is no joke for the long run.. i only top up around 250ml a day now on a 65g system.

[resser]

I am starting project X-Stick and the idea came about when I suddenly visualise my cigarette in my hand as a SPS frag. I thought to myself, if i dont smoke a week, I prolly can can get 1-2 sticks of SPS frags to put in my tank! And so I am now currently going to execute this plan....

Let me be the first to congratulate. I've been trying to quit for years.

Now, just resist lighting up and sucking the SPSes.

[digibee]

LOL....

Yeah Resser, you need to stick those ciggies on your rocks and let red slime and green algae grow on them!

Time to upgrade your tank .....

By the way good idea, Legent; soon your tank will be full of expensive fish and corals.

Get ready for 6ft tank ........

[sherman]

Its nice to hear you giving up smoking and spend that money to start a SPS tank.

In order to keep SPS you need a sump or you need to do water change daily to maintain

a stable parameter to keep PO4 and NO3 undetectable.

You also need a chiller to maintain a stable below 27 Deg temperature. SPS will not do ok with

water temperature above 27.5 Deg.

You need more then 1 wavemaker. Maybe 3 .

These are the basics and the rest you can adjust accordingly as you go along

[linko]

Hi Bro, I also thought thousand of times like as what you decided now a day. But I never win and ended to smoke again. Let me say Congratulation to you from my heart. Likewise what other bros said, you should go to the dark side with chiller. Actually, the initial cost of good brand chiller is much lesser than the total cost of sticks what we burned for the whole year. Good luck to you!

[Kelvin81]

Congrats bro!

[mengyang_neo]

Main questions to ask the fellow pro reefers here:

1. I have a 3-4 inch sandbed. Better to go BB? If yes how to go about doing it?

2. I have dead rocks that I intend to create the bonsai structure out of tank. How do I introduce into the tank with minimal cycling?

3. Any other equipment recommended to make it work? (Apart from a sump as I cannot cannot afford to go with a sump)

4. Is it sufficient to just buy calcium chloride powder and calcium bicarbonate powder to do my own mix?

Hi bro, good idea, end result will be a beautiful tank and better health.

[domvonn]

Good idea to quit your habit and use the money on your good hobby:)