My 10g Block O' da Sea

[Hopeful Reefer]

Hey guys/gals...

I'm getting ready to set up a 10g nano to get the kids and the wife something to look at while I work (slowly) on my 75g...

I got 10g of salt water from one of our LFS...good store, marine store only...lots of knowledge...they even participate in our local reef club...going to keep doing so until I get my RO/DI unit...I'm in the process of acquiring a 96w PC ballast...Im going to have one of my Seios set up for flow (should be more than enough if not too much, may need to get a smaller unit)...I'll do weekly (or twice a week if necessary) water changes, and with not a lot of livestock in there keeping my parameters stable shouldn't be a problem with the frequent water changes...

Here is my question...I'm going to end up with the 96w half 10k & half Actinic quad bulb...I'm wondering what corals I can put in there and maybe recommendations on a couple of fish as well...not too many fish, but maybe 2 or so...I don't want to overload the tank, but I want it to look nice...

 

[MrMexReefer]

sounds like my set up, but in a 20 long. My shrooms, leathers, kenya tree, frogspawn, candycanes and rics are all doing great zoanthids seem to reproduce slowly... but im not sure if thats because of the light

 

[Agu]

On a ten gallon that's a pretty much everything but difficult SPS and clams light. Most LPS and softies are fine. I put a glass top on my 10 gallon LPS tank because it was actually too much light.

A pair of oscellaris or percula clowns is perfect for that setup.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8765681#post8765681 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMexReefer
sounds like my set up, but in a 20 long. My shrooms, leathers, kenya tree, frogspawn, candycanes and rics are all doing great zoanthids seem to reproduce slowly... but im not sure if thats because of the light

What light do you have in your tank? Also, what livestock do you have and what do you feed them?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8768343#post8768343 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
On a ten gallon that's a pretty much everything but difficult SPS and clams light. Most LPS and softies are fine. I put a glass top on my 10 gallon LPS tank because it was actually too much light.

A pair of oscellaris or percula clowns is perfect for that setup.

I was thinking a pair of mated clowns would be good...what type of "easy" SPS would you recommend? I'm going to be making a custom hood for the tank, and it will have a thin plexiglass cover to protect the lights...Also, what kind of light / livestock / feeding do you have?

Thanks to both for the comments...I want this to actually be a show quality tank and not just a quick tank put together to satisfy the wife and kids while I work on my real project...

Also, as for circulation what do you both have...the more I think about it the more I'm thinking that my Seio 820 is way too much...I'm thinking that the fish will get tired swimming against the current and the corals won't be able to root in one place and will be bumped around alot...any suggestions?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Here is my conceptual picture of what my hood will look like...

It will have an open top and back...the 4 small blocks will sit just high enough on the inside of the hood so that it will rest on the tank down to the water line...the hood will be made out of 1x6 material...the brace across the center will be for my 96w PC Quad light/reflector...I will be putting this setup on my kitchen counter under the end cabinet...there will be enough clearance above the hood so that I can gently lift it and either slide it back to feed, clean, etc...

I will be routing the edges and painting/staining the hood followed by a few coats of poly to keep the salt creep from killing it...I will be putting some molding around the top to "pretty it up" to match our cabinets...

Still looking for answers about easy SPS and the like for stocking list...

 

[herostar]

you could try some montipora digitata, or maybe a millepora


Monti caps tend to grow in that type of setup too

keep in mind the colors won't be as "vibrant" as under MH, but they will still grow

I've got a couple monti's in my 10g w/ an 80w orbit fixture. I use an AC70 set up as a fuge and have a mini-jet 606 for additional flow. Everything I've put in from shrooms to frogspawn to monti's have done relatively well. I wouldn't suggest acros though.

 

[MrMexReefer]

i have a 2X60 PC light... I feed flakes for the fish (pair of clowns) and live phyto for the corals, supplemented with some Kent ZooMax.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8771452#post8771452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by herostar
you could try some montipora digitata, or maybe a millepora

Monti caps tend to grow in that type of setup too

keep in mind the colors won't be as "vibrant" as under MH, but they will still grow

I've got a couple monti's in my 10g w/ an 80w orbit fixture. I use an AC70 set up as a fuge and have a mini-jet 606 for additional flow. Everything I've put in from shrooms to frogspawn to monti's have done relatively well. I wouldn't suggest acros though.

Thanks for the suggestions...my wife and I were looking on the Internet today at some pics of the corals you suggested...we may actually try to go with those because they are pretty...and that is what the wife wants, a tank that "looks pretty" :rolleye1: :lol:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8772236#post8772236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMexReefer
i have a 2X60 PC light... I feed flakes for the fish (pair of clowns) and live phyto for the corals, supplemented with some Kent ZooMax.

Thanks for the suggestions as well MrMex...I was considering what I want to feed and I think I'm going to mix my own food for the fish...freeze it in a zip lock baggie with some egg crate to make just the perfect size cubes for feeding...not sure what I want to mix in there yet, but I'm definitely gonna mix my own...

Well, I am starting to get everything in order for the nano to get going...I have water and the tank as well as a heater...I bought an AquaClear HOB 200 filter today...I'm gonna turn that in to a HOB fuge with some Chaeto in it...I'll cut the flow to the feeding stage on there so that the flow through the fuge is slow...

I also got in my order of lace rock today for my 75g...here is one pic of what I got...

There are a decent amount of small rocks plus some rubble type rocks that were on the bottom of the box...I'll use them in the nano and the larger ones I'll put in the 75g when it gets set up...already spoke with Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley about the rock and he said I'll be ok with it as long as I soak it for 24 hours in pure vinegar...

My lighting for this nano will be, as I said, a 96w PC Quad bulb (2-10k tubes and 2-Actinic tubes)...that was shipped today...and, I ordered the bulb and reflector for it from Hellolights...

The only things left to do are build the hood (which I'm doing tomorrow) and get a light for the fuge...I have a clip on light I'll use for now, but later on I want to get an actual clip-on fuge light like they sell from Drs. Foster & Smith...my sand and live rock should have been here last week and it still isn't here...that is the only bad part so far...hopefully something will still be alive when it gets here but I doubt it...hopefully the seller will refund my money or sent me fresh...

So with that, I'm done for now...more to come later...hopefully I can get some pics as I build the hood...

 

[MrMexReefer]

awesome rock, i can imagine them all purpled up in about a year already

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

And so it begins...

And so it begins...

Well, I have begun the process for setting up my nano...initially, this was going to be a show tank for all to enjoy...it was going to sit on our kitchen counter...well, space being what it is the tank didn't look good sitting there...so, while we were at our storage unit a few nights ago we found an old stand for a 30g that we for whatever reason had kept...

I was supposed to get an order of 20lbs of live sand and some live rock from a supplier who shall remain annonymouse...they claim to have shipped stuff over a week ago (package is 6 days late! :eek1: )...since I had nothing, I went to HD tonight and grabbed a bag of Kolorsafe play sand...as you can see, I'm only going for about a 1"-2" sand bed here...I am going to seed the sand with sand from some of our local reefers (if I can aquire some)

I started filling the tank with water tonight that was purchased from one of our trusted LFS...I used a method I saw on here where you put a trashbag in on the sand and a bowl...pour the water in the bowl and let it gently cascade down the sides in to the tank...look ma, no sand cloud!

The water is nice and clear using this method...when you are done, remove the bowl and the plastic floats to the top...

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

And so it begins... part duex

And so it begins... part duex

Tomorrow, I will be building the hood for this stand...I was supposed to have received my 96w ballast yesterday...but thanks to DHL deciding not to deliver my package 2 days in a row I'll be going to the Richmond International Airport tomorrow to pick up my ballast... :mad2:

In the mean time, I'm cooking 10lbs of live rock...I am soaking the rock in vinegar at the suggestion of Dr. Randy...it will soak for about 20-24 hours...tomorrow night I'll pull it out, rince it with salt water and do my aquascaping...

If you look carefully, you can see the turbulence on the surface because of the bubbles popping...vinegar is doing it's job...

Here is my temporary lighting for the tank...bulb is something like 5100k from Lowes...it will move to cover the fuge once my ballast and lights are here...I am ordering a refugium light from Dr. Foster & Smith though...and I'm not sure where it will go from there... :lol:

And finally, a quick pic of it all set up...I'll add more water once all the rock is in...don't want it to flood our bedroom

One other addition...I picked up an old AquaClear filter off eBay for $3...once it gets here, I'm turning that in to a HOB refugium...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8785387#post8785387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMexReefer
awesome rock, i can imagine them all purpled up in about a year already

Yeah, I can't wait either...I want the whole thing to be ready now... With that, comments and suggestions...keep em coming...

 

[chem-e]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8782210#post8782210 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hopeful Reefer

I also got in my order of lace rock today for my 75g...here is one pic of what I got...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think that lace rock was good for a reef tank.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8806375#post8806375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chem-e
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think that lace rock was good for a reef tank.

That is a common misconception...I stated previously, I spoke with Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley, the genious of the chemistry forum...I told him what I was doing and he was the one that said just let it sit in vinegar for 24 hours, rinse with RO water and it will be fine to use...there must be some sort of Calcium Carbonate composition to this rock because it is still bubbling a little this morning when I looked...not a bunch, but still bubbling...I'll pull it out tonight and do some aquascaping and hopefully post pics before I go to bed tonight...

 

[MrMexReefer]

Jason, looking good! You did far more research than i ever did when i started up my nano, and mine is doing great, so im sure yours will be fantastic! Keep the pics and updates coming

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8809116#post8809116 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMexReefer
Jason, looking good! You did far more research than i ever did when i started up my nano, and mine is doing great, so im sure yours will be fantastic! Keep the pics and updates coming

Thanks MrMex... In keeping with your request, here's another update... :lol:

Couple of things got done today...first, I got the majority of the work done on the hood for the tank...simple design really...I counter sunk the screws and I'm going to puddy over the holes and sand them down so you can't see them...our bedroom is where this tank will be and my wife wants the edges routered to match our bedroom suit...should be able to get it close... After that, I'll prime and paint it white to match the room...take a look at what I've gotten done...ignore the small gap in the one side...this was the flatest board I could find and it still has a slight bow in the one end... It will get filled and sanded and then the edges will be routered...

Top View

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

While we were out and about finishing last minute Christmas shopping, we stopped at one of the local saltwater LFS...my wife told me to pick out some live rock for the tank..."Merry Christmas, now what do I get for Christmas?" she said... :lmao: Guess I need to work for it...

Here is the tank with 5 pounds of live rock and about 7 pounds of base rock...I don't really like how it is aquascaped, I think it looks too crowded...I'll take out some of the base rock and redo it probably over the weekend...but for now, here it is...

And finally, as I was putting in the rock, I found two of these guys crawling around in the bottom of the bag...guess I have 2 tank inhabitants sooner rather than later...

With that I think I need to cook the kids dinner...I'm getting a gift certificate for the one local saltwater LFS on Sunday...so I will get going then to get my Salifert test kit and I'll start posting daily water parameter readings...

So...comments and suggestions, please...keep em coming...

 

[xxtriggermanxx]

how do you open that hood

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

This hood is designed to simply lift up a little and slide it backwards on the top rim of the tank...or, I can simply remove it all together if I need to do tank maintenance or something similar...

The wife wanted something very simple...so simple that if I'm at work and she needs to feed she can do it...that is the design she saw on someone else's tank and that is the design she decided on...and you know how wives can be...if it ain't their way, it just ain't... :lmao:

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Ok...so, I couldn't wait to see if I got more hitchhikers...so I went on my first "flash light duty"...even got the wife involved and kind of excited a little more about the tank...

So far, in addition to the 2 huge snails I already listed here is the good, bad and indifferent that I've found...

First thing I saw was a small, baby snail...it's shell is round and kind of like a pinwheel pattern to it...I also saw a bristle worm...about 1/4" long and barely the thickness of a small wire...

Now, I got really freaked out at one point when I saw...none other than...

A P T A S I A!!! :eek1:

I was being really careful to not let anything bad in to the tank...but I guess sometimes you take the good with the bad...I need to know some sure fire methods of killing this thing off now before it reproduces and fills up my little 10g tank...I want something I can inject in to it with a syringe so it releases on it's own and I don't leave any of it's foot behind...

Now...in addition to this stuff...I did have one really bright moment...I found, what I believe to be a baby zooanthid!! YEAH, I have corals... :lol: It is about the size of a pencil eraser...very hard to see...under the flash light beam, it looked kind of brown but had really bright, neon green flecks in it's head...looks really cool...my light ballast is here, but my light bulb is not...it will be arriving either Tuesday or Wednesday through UPS...depends on holiday shipping I suppose...can't wait to see what this little guy does under decent lighting...I will get pics soon as I can figure out how to make my camera take better pics...

So, any suggestions anyone? How often should I go on "flash light duty" to try to find any bad hitchhikers?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Let me start by appologizing for the poor picture quality...it is the best I could do with my camera...

Anyway, just wanted to post 2 pics of the aptasia and coral I found on the same rock last night...