10 Gallon for College

[Danieldv6]

Will they let you have a biocube14 gallon or is 10 gallon the limit?because a biocube with filtration chamber is really easy to keep your media on a nice and neat system..plus with a cover you can avoid people from put the hands inside..only 2 cents.

 

[Ryan98720]

@danieldv6 I wish! I haven't really asked, but on their website it says that no aquarium over 10 gallons will be allowed in the dorms, so I'm gonna have to say no on that one. They probably wouldn't even notice, but I wouldn't want to spend that much money to be told I have to leave it at home! Thanks for the suggestion though! Aside from having a cover to keep people out of the tank, does it help to reduce noise and also does it help to prevent as much water loss due to evaporation?

 

[The Reef Addict]

Biocube would be pretty nice, my uncle had a 29g and he grew corals like crazy in his system!
Check out these lights, just added them on my nano yesterday. http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Blue-Professional-ADB42891-Solarflare/dp/B009GNZ7ZK

If you are stuck with a 10, I personally say no skimmer, definitely a hob filter, small powerhead, heater, and lights! Ive only had to do 1 water change on mine over the last month its been running.. My paramaters are perfect! Which reminds me.. Get a master test kit!!!!!:hammer:

 

[sde1500]

@The Reef Addict Being that I live relatively close to the campus I will be attending, I don't think that I should have to move the tank too often because I can just go and do the regular maintenance every so often. And an auto feeder would probably be a good idea anyway! I agree that I should move the tank as little as possible because I'm sure it would stress the fish and coral.

A lot of colleges close and lock down their dorms over breaks. You can live next door or 100 miles away, and you won't be getting into the dorms over break. Some also turn the heat way down. I'd be hesitant to bring a tank to campus right away. My suggestion would be move in and get settled in to see what your schedule is like. And check on if the tank will be ok over break before making any decisions. Most likely you will have to move the tank out over breaks, luckily, 10 gallons is easy to move.

 

[The Reef Addict]

The worst thing you can do in a nano is overfeed IMO. I also use a magnet cleaner, and ive got a few snails. To start off, I would definitely recommend live rock/sand.. And adding your chemicals around the same time daily. Seachem 1,2 for me!

Thats a pic of the lights, their real bright!! My only problem with them is these LEDs make my t5s look wimpy on my 75g! Lol Just added the nem yesterday, and of course it chooses to hang on the back of the rocks :dance:

 

[CafeReef]

@CafeReef I would love to look into a mobile rodi system, but I will be somewhat limited in space and also depending on what floor of the dorms that I get put in I could possibly have a community bathroom, so that wouldn't really be feasible I don't think, but thanks for the suggestion!

It might not be as unprobable as you think. most faucets have the ability to unscrew the nozzle where the water comes out of for cleaning reasons. When this is done, its threaded. most RODI units come standard with the ability to thread onto this (by design they are made to screw on and off quickly and not a permanent change). It takes a couple of seconds to unscrew this and then screw it back on when done making water.

(disclosure, pics are not mine, stolen from google)

You could build a simple frame that has some feet that just fits the RODI unit so that it doesnt take up as much space, maybe 2 square feet. depending on how you make it, could be easily slid under a bed.

you would only need to make maybe a gallon a week. If you were to pick up a 90 gallon per day unit, this would take no more than 10 minutes to make (I've spent longer times in a bathroom than that haha)

This would allow for you to make your own 1.024 saltwater as well which is an added bonus. Any time you can avoid carrying gallons of water up stairs or from a car to a building up to a room is a bonus.

 

[CStrickland]

theres a section of the forum where people with nano (small) tanks talk about their special issues http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75 You can see what they are running for equipment, maintenance routines, how they stock the tanks, and get inspired.

For a 10g a pair of clowns seems unrealistic to me (a 6g is way too small). www.liveaquaria.com is a good site to learn about fish, they have nice pics and good info about whether the fish is a picky eater, delicate, aggressive, and how big of a tank it needs.

I'd probably use distilled water from the grocery store for evap, and maybe even pre-mixed saltwater from a pet shop for changes. My dorm had no extra space and it would've been weird to tie up a sink with a rodi, my school was cheap though . A 90 gpd unit is making about 3.5 gallons per hour under good conditions - low flow, uncalibrated rejection, low temp, etc. can slow that significantly. That can be overkill on a ten because in a week you only need a gallon or two for evap and a gallon to water change.

You won't be taking the tank home on spring break, you'll need to figure something else out. An autofeeder and reliable ATO can buy you a week easily.

Saltwater tanks differ from fresh water in that most of their filtration is accomplished by the bacteria that live in the rocks. It's common for converts to feel weird about not having mechanical filtration, but it's def optional and not always beneficial. Google "reef tank nitrate factory" for more info. You're probably best off with 1-2 small fish, and some easy coral like softies, mushrooms, maybe a real easy lps. So the water won't need to be immaculate any way. That'll save you some money on lights too.

Just a couple thoughts. Most of all, make sure the tank fits your life. Your priorities right now should probably be making friends, having new experiences, and studying a little too. If you can fit a tank in after all that, cool; if you can't there's always time after graduation.

 

[The Reef Addict]

+1 cafereef.

I got one myself, cost a decent amount upfront but it had more than paid for itself over the last several years. My lfs charges $7.50 for 5 gallons of premixed salt, but what drives me nuts it its always around 1.021-2 so you end up adding more salt to it anyways. Think it was around $5 for ro water.. It adds up

 

[The Reef Addict]

For a 10g a pair of clowns seems unrealistic to me (a 6g is way too small)

I agree with everythig else you said! :rollface:

I think it can work, and it has been for me. A guy at my LFS has a similar setup as well, and his clowns breed. Everything is circumstantial though.. My clowns are a small pair that have great personality. I will not be adding any other fish to the tank due to them being territorial, so for OP thay may be something to think about. But, a nice feature about clowns is that they are generally bulletproof. :uzi:

 

[cloak]

Just keep it simple... There's going to be too much beer around to spend a lot of money on this IME. Girls too.

 

[CafeReef]

Just keep it simple... There's going to be too much beer around to spend a lot of money on this IME. Girls too.

just remember, Chicks dig SW tanks.

 

[CStrickland]

But, a nice feature about clowns is that they are generally bulletproof. :uzi:

Even if that were true, it's hardly a good argument for shooting them

Good luck with your clowns! I hope your success over the last month or so continues as they grow and mature.

 

[cloak]

just remember, Chicks dig SW tanks.

All in all though, I don't think it was NEMO that brought them in... It was probably our HIGH IQ.

 

[Tcam22]

I had a 15gal Column tank in my dorm room last semester and the girls loved it [emoji6]. I got away with 15 gallons because it was a column and the shape deceived the untrained eye. Anyways, I used an aquaclear70 loaded with live rock rubble and an AquaticLife 115 nano skimmer. I always kept 5gal of saltwater and 5gal of RO in jugs on hand in case anything went wrong and I needed emergency water. I changed 5 gallons per week and the tank did great. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[The Reef Addict]

Even if that were true, it's hardly a good argument for shooting them

Good luck with your clowns! I hope your success over the last month or so continues as they grow and mature.

Now that's a true statement! And thanks , i appreciate it! Luckily for me, if they do start out growing their tank I have a 29g to bump them up to.. But then I need a new hospital tank lol

 

[The Reef Addict]

Ive got to say, chicks really do love SW! Every girl ive had over is mezmerized by the tank.. Alcohol helps a bit with that too

Ive got a GF now.. And shes the reason I have the Nano in the first place! Gave up her goldfish so she could have more clowns! At least she didnt name any of the Nemo lol

 

[cheucklate]

Hey ryan welcome to reefcentral. I'll be honest, most college don't really enforce the 10 gallon rule. A biocube14g all in one would be highly recommended. A closed lid will greatly reduce evaporation and improve salinity stability.

The main concern your college has is flooding problems in case of leakage, so they implement 10 gallon.

Well let's do the math, your biocube14g will have 20-25lbs of live rock. Once you factor in the weight, you probably can only fill up 10-11 gallons of water anyways. Take the chance :beer:

 

[Ryan98720]

@The Reef Addict Those lights awesome and they are really cheap compared to a lot of the others! Keep me posted on how they continue to work for you! That's awesome to only have to change your water once this month! What are you running in your filter to do so? Your tank looks really awesome and doesnt look crowded at all! If you dont mind me asking, why did you decide to go with the coarser substrate for the bottom? Sorry to hear that about the nem! hopefully it will move closer to the front! Ive heard about some people putting a powerhead in their direction to get them to move, but dont take my word for it!

@sde1500 Thats a good point, so I got on the school website and the dorm that I will be residing does stay open during winter and spring breaks! I will however have to check into the temperature there!

@Cafe Reef Thanks! I will definitely consider that once I get there and understand how things run in a dorm room! My only other problem with the RODI system is just the added cost of more equipment. I know that over time it will save me money, however with that small of a reef how much water would I have to buy? Again though thank you for taking the time to reply and I will have to look into it a bit more to really make a good decision!

@CStrickland Thanks for the link to that forum! That may become my new favorite place to visit to make some decisions! Ive heard both things about clowns in this small of a tank! I am in no way trying to argue with you about it because I really have no idea what im talking about when it comes to this kind of stuff. I have seen a lot of people who have said yes to clowns and the opposite! I will definately check that site out when making decisions on what fish to stock my tank with! Im glad to hear that about the ATO and autofeeder buying me a week! Like I said I live pretty close so if the break was longer than just a week when I would be able to just go down there periodically to check things out and refill things! Thanks for that advice at the end! I guess i need to sort of slow down a bit and see once I get there. Im just super excited and want to start as quickly as possible! The other reason I want to hurry and start is because I am thinking about going to med school after graduation and I know that I really wont have much time then! So I guessed that I would sort of just learn how to manage the aquarium early so I didnt have to try and learn how to do it in med school!

@Tcam22 Thats great! I would try to sneak in a 15 gallon, but I would hate to spend money on a new tank to have to send it back home! If you have any tips dont be scared to share them! I am the type who loves to research things before I do it, so I would love to hear more from you! I guess my biggest question is if you had any issues with space, and what you did to try and maximize the amount of space you had!

@The Reef Addict Haha! Yeah anything to attract the girls lol! My problem will be that I will be so mesmerized by the tank that I wont even notice anything else!:lol: I could just watch a fishtank for hours as they are so beatiful to me!

@cheucklate Thanks! Have you heard anything about the University Of Alabams's rules? Wow! I will need that much rock! Ive heard a pound per gallon, but i guess the more rock the better right! I didn't even think of it that way, with the rocks displacing some of the water! Maybe I will tyr and contact the housing department about this thought and see what they say! (I might use an alternate email address so they wont know who I am later on!) The other reason I was looking at keeping my 10 Gallon was because I already have some stuff for it, but as I am quickly finding out, none of it is worth keeping! Do you think that the extra 4 gallons would really make it that much easier? I dont know just asking! Thanks for the insight though into what most colleges allow!

 

[The Reef Addict]

Thanks man the nem did decide to come back out to the front and its looking great so far! I used the "live sand" you will find a petco, petsmart, etc. My 75 has the white colored sand, so I decided to mix it up on the nano. Honestly I dont have any experience with any other sands, but I would think if you got some sand sifters/bottom dwellers in your tank eventually they could stir up a nice mess with real fine sand. Maybe others can pitch in on that..

My filter just has the standard cartridge style filter with carbon in it, and theres some other fluval brand "rocks" in a filter sock in there as well. Basically its all about your bio filter, and not overloading your tank. I also had the benefit of using water straight from my 75 to help get things going even faster. You will definitely want some form of live sand/rock to get that natural filtration going. My tank fully cycled within about 3 weeks, you will want to keep a close eye on your parameters during this time. Since the cycle, ive been just topping off evap and occasionally checking the parameters

 

[MMacro]

Well, they are only about 1" in size, and thats all I have in the tank. They are doing great! I have a small heater that hangs on the back of my 6g, cant be seen at all with my liverock. Since its small, they are probably the only fiah I can put in there... The whole tank is their territory!

IMO a six gallon tank is not a good size for any fish.