Back in the game with a nano reef!

[Steemax]

Hello everyone! I'll be keeping this thread as a way to journal the progression of my nano reef...
I just want to start off with a little bit of history first.

Since I was a kid, my father has always had an aquarium in the household from as far back as I can remember. He had a 55 gallon reef tank setup in the late 80's throughout the 90's that I loved growing up. Going to the local fish store for me was like taking a trip to disneyland for the other kids :11: So you can say, I love marine life :goldfish::fish:

After this time I've had many tanks from a 30 gallon ciclid tank to a 30 gallon planted tank to a 40 gallon simple reef setup with nothing other than a canister filtration system to finally an 80 gallon reef tank that we built a custom stand for, lighting, chiller, 30 gallon sump, skimmer, and all the other mouth watering goodies.

Unfortunately that 80 gallon had to go when we moved again.

Anyway now to the present. Fast forward around 7 years I have the sudden urge to get back into the game but these "nano reefs" are appealing to me quite a bit.
Here are my conditions:

I may go a bit bigger than a 10gal this will be apparent within the week as I'll have my tank by then. Looking for something around 10 to 25gallon. Nothing bigger as I don't want a dedicated stand for it since space is limited.

I'll be looking into a very simple filtration system, instead will be focusing on lighting, a protein skimmer, water flow/current, etc...
This being said, I need a protein skimmer thats discreet since I won't have a sump.

As far as lighting goes, LED's are very new to me in the aquarium scene since they never existed when I had my 80gallon reef. If it was anything like fluorescent where there were a million different kinds then I'll have to get on doing some research there.

I'll be using live sand as my substrate and around 1.5lbs of live rock per gallon of water.

So this is all for now, and i'll keep updating this thread with pictures and information as I go on.
If anyone has some recommendations on equipment or anything for that matter, please feel free :19:

[sheamurai]

Welcome aboard!

for that size tank, you could consider going without a protein skimmer...they are a good idea and kinda standard practice, but not absolutely required. I've run my tank now for quite a while without one.

I recently acquired an LED fixture for my tank, and I don't regret it. The biggest benefit has been that my tank no longer heats up thru the day - the temperature is consistent now at what my heater is set to, the lights no longer affect the temperature.

It will be great to see your tank develop!

[Special K]

I ran a 10 gallon with a Koralia 1 and a CPR BakPak w/MJ1200. Ran that same setup on a 20g a few years back.

Unfortunately, the skimmer doesn't fit on my pico reef I'm downsizing to, and probably would flip the tank over. If you were interested in getting a skimmer, shoot me a PM, I'd be willing to let it go for a good price to someone on here.

I'm also going to be investing in LEDs for the first time. Really excited to see what all the rage is about. I remember when T5HO was in, and LEDs were a distant murmur of the future.

[Steemax]

Welcome aboard!

for that size tank, you could consider going without a protein skimmer...they are a good idea and kinda standard practice, but not absolutely required. I've run my tank now for quite a while without one.

I recently acquired an LED fixture for my tank, and I don't regret it. The biggest benefit has been that my tank no longer heats up thru the day - the temperature is consistent now at what my heater is set to, the lights no longer affect the temperature.

It will be great to see your tank develop!


I ran a 10 gallon with a Koralia 1 and a CPR BakPak w/MJ1200. Ran that same setup on a 20g a few years back.

Unfortunately, the skimmer doesn't fit on my pico reef I'm downsizing to, and probably would flip the tank over. If you were interested in getting a skimmer, shoot me a PM, I'd be willing to let it go for a good price to someone on here.

I'm also going to be investing in LEDs for the first time. Really excited to see what all the rage is about. I remember when T5HO was in, and LEDs were a distant murmur of the future.

Thanks for the replies guys... Now im leaning against a protein skimmer... maybe further down the line but it seems a bit excessive at this point.

Also I made my main purchases today.
-10 gallon glass tank
-Just a generic LED fixture from pet-smart for now
-The tank came with one of those whisper 10 HOB filters which is ok for now.
-Also came with a 50 watt heater I'll keep using until I get one of those sleek mini flat heaters
-got 10lbs of Caribbean live sand
-12 lbs of live rock from my LFS... got 5lbs of premium and 5lbs of regular live rock
-a glass thermometer since those crapy sticker kinds are useless that come with the tank.

That's all for now! I'll post pics once I start this baby up within the couple hours.


Also I'm gonna need to order a powerhead, and I have a saltwater testing kit coming in tomorrow.


I'm so excited! :19::19::19:

[Steemax]

Alright so here's how it sits day 1... sand floating everywhere in the tank... should clear up fast. Theres 10lbs of live rock in there.

The led light fixture/hood that came with the tank is the worst excuse for lighting i've ever seen so im not even bothering with it. I'm going to go pickup a quality LED fixture and glass canopy tomorrow morning, and I may just replace the little top fin 10 HOB with a aqua clear 20.

[Steemax]

Day 2!

Threw out the crappy topfin 10 for a Aquaclear 20,
added another 5lbs of live rock, and threw out the crappy hood lighting for a fluval LED unit.

Looking good so far

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/photo_zps98177a5e.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/photo_zps98177a5e.jpg.html)

[sheamurai]

looking good!

[hockeyhead019]

Have you given any thought to the stocking plan for the tank? You're slightly limited with a tank that size but you can still create a fun mix between fish and corals if you choose

[Steemax]

Have you given any thought to the stocking plan for the tank? You're slightly limited with a tank that size but you can still create a fun mix between fish and corals if you choose

I am somewhat limited and so I'm thinking of getting a mandarin goby, a fire-fish goby and a scarlet skunk shrimp... Any suggestions or ideas? I'm just worried about these gobies jumping out... I've always had a problem in the past in my larger tanks

Edit: I take that back, mandarin goby is a no go, probably will find a small clown in place or maybe even a more passive specie of damsel

[sheamurai]

you could have a little school of neon gobys...ah but they are jumpers too...well, if you got an eggcrate lid for your tank you wouldn't have to worry about jumpers as much...and there are sexy shrimp or peppermint shrimp that are small so you could get small groups of either one of them...not like the cleaner/skunks they get pretty big and are horrible pests/pigs for food.

[Steemax]

you could have a little school of neon gobys...ah but they are jumpers too...well, if you got an eggcrate lid for your tank you wouldn't have to worry about jumpers as much...and there are sexy shrimp or peppermint shrimp that are small so you could get small groups of either one of them...not like the cleaner/skunks they get pretty big and are horrible pests/pigs for food.
True true, time will tell though since I'm not quite positive on what fish I want... What do you guys think of one Banggai Cardinal and one Clown?

Anyway here are some updates:
-Replaced the generic Petco branded powerhead with a Marineland Maxi-jet 400 for more flow.
-Decided I want a protein skimmer just from old habit so I ordered a HOB Red Sea prism Deluxe model skimmer... I loved the intake design on this skimmer.

Still no live stock... I'll do my first ammonia test tomorrow to see where things are headed.
Here's how the tank looks now... it's cleared up quite a bit.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/photo-1_zps7611b97a.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/photo-1_zps7611b97a.jpg.html)

[sheamurai]

tank looks good.

Good luck with that skimmer, I'm not sure if I should say or not, but my first skimmer was a Red Sea Prism, and I hated the thing. Very noisy. Hopefully yours is a better model (I don't think mine was deluxe) and you won't have that problem.

[Steemax]

tank looks good.

Good luck with that skimmer, I'm not sure if I should say or not, but my first skimmer was a Red Sea Prism, and I hated the thing. Very noisy. Hopefully yours is a better model (I don't think mine was deluxe) and you won't have that problem.

Don't scare me like that lol! I got a great deal, the deluxe for $66 shipped, everywhere else it's $100+ and the reviews where not bad at all

[sheamurai]

ahhh, sorry!
its a lovely looking unit!
(that better?)

[Steemax]

ahhh, sorry!
its a lovely looking unit!
(that better?)

Haha much better, no but really, is it that bad? I wanted to avoid an in-tank unit at all costs.

[sheamurai]

well, mine was...but it was many moons ago and like I said, a different model. I'm sure they've improved it since my experience with it.

[1Sarah]

Looks great! Can't wait to see it progress :).

[Steemax]

well, mine was...but it was many moons ago and like I said, a different model. I'm sure they've improved it since my experience with it.

Lets hope so!


Looks great! Can't wait to see it progress :).

Thanks! I'll try updating this thread often!

So here are some updates... Day 4: Woke up to a load of brown algae on my LR

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/image_zpsa31e9a73.jpeg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/image_zpsa31e9a73.jpeg.html)

So I thought it's about time I do my first water test and here are the results... not sure what to make of it really.

Salinity: 1.024
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0.25 PPM
Nitrite: 0.15 PPM (the color was in between 0.25 and 0 ppm so I figure 0.15)
Nitrate: 10 PPM

Sort of weird that the Nitrate is that high already unless the cycle is moving at warp speed which I would only be able to tell in a few days if ammonia hits 0 and nitrite bottoms out along with it.

Any thoughts? Also this is the API Saltwater Master Test Kit I used.

[sheamurai]

The one good thing about saltwater - cycling is generally very fast!
I never even saw ammonia in mine...it cycled in a couple days. My rock was packaged really well for transport, so hardly any die off occurred.

[Cliff]

You can get nitrate leaching out from your live rock if it was exposed to higher levels of nitrates for a longer period of time before you out it in your tank. But none the less, looks you your cycle is moving along nicely and you will most likely be done in no time.

I would guess the brown algae is likely diatoms.

Looks like good progress

[Steemax]

The one good thing about saltwater - cycling is generally very fast!
I never even saw ammonia in mine...it cycled in a couple days. My rock was packaged really well for transport, so hardly any die off occurred.


You can get nitrate leaching out from your live rock if it was exposed to higher levels of nitrates for a longer period of time before you out it in your tank. But none the less, looks you your cycle is moving along nicely and you will most likely be done in no time.

I would guess the brown algae is likely diatoms.

Looks like good progress

Thanks guys! I actually added a turbo snail and emerald crab to do some cleanup on this algae yesterday.

I did another test today and everything came out the same came out the same except nitrates were down to 5 PPM from 10

No other updates other than that, water is crystal clear... sand bed does not have a single spot of algae on it which is weird considering alage is growing on most of my live rock.

[Special K]

Looking good!

As far as stocking goes, if you wanted one interesting fish you could go with a white banded possum wrasse. That's what was gonna go in my 10 gallon till I decided to just let it sit with the clean up crew, till I decided to downsize.

[Steemax]

Looking good!

As far as stocking goes, if you wanted one interesting fish you could go with a white banded possum wrasse. That's what was gonna go in my 10 gallon till I decided to just let it sit with the clean up crew, till I decided to downsize.

Thanks! Hmm you think I'd have problems with those jumping? I think Im actually leaning towards a clown and royal gramma.

Anyway here's an update.
Tested waters again and to my surprise, Nitrites were 0 and so was ammonia... nitrates were still at 5. Decided I'd make a move and add some more to my tank.

Went and picked up a cleaner shrimp, one blue legged hermit, and one red legged hermit, but my temptation took over like always... so I ended up getting a feather duster and saw some "waving hands xenia" frags for $25 so after talking with the guy for a while he gave me two frags for the price of one! So I did a 10% water change and added the live stock. Told myself I have to slow down, so gonna wait another month before adding my first fish.

Also picked up and added iodine, strontium, Molybdenum, trace elements, and Liquid Calcium

Here are some pics:
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/E02C6558-64CE-4A3B-9D5F-176A6CC15686-2329-00000159A593DA79_zpsf3fb067d.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/3728D18F-D5F9-4F90-ADE0-DF7562BFC774-2329-00000159ACD82CDB_zpsa8d5f0e0.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/AE6BDAE4-642E-48EB-897F-01E5E39049CF-2329-00000159DCDA7396_zps2e1a0dbc.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/B9BF987C-7185-4C43-8CD3-8A3C886D750D-2329-00000159D15BEEB3_zpse2751e14.jpg

[Cliff]

Looks good, and good call taking it slow from here on in

What type of salt are you using and what is your salinity at right now ? I'm a little shocked to hear that you had to dose calcium right after setting up the tank adding corals. What is your current calcium level at right now ?

Also, I would not suggest either the clown fish or royal gramma for a 10 gallon tank. Instead, I would suggest some of the smaller gobies as a better option for your tank. Maybe even a small school of neon blue gobys (Elacatinus oceanops) or clown gobies (Gobiodon okinawae).

[Steemax]

Looks good, and good call taking it slow from here on in

What type of salt are you using and what is your salinity at right now ? I'm a little shocked to hear that you had to dose calcium right after setting up the tank adding corals. What is your current calcium level at right now ?

Also, I would not suggest either the clown fish or royal gramma for a 10 gallon tank. Instead, I would suggest some of the smaller gobies as a better option for your tank. Maybe even a small school of neon blue gobys (Elacatinus oceanops) or clown gobies (Gobiodon okinawae).

Thanks! Yeah I need to take it slow for the sake of the tanks health and my wallets health :ssuprised:
As for the calcium, it's always been a habit/practice for me to add it right away. Maybe this is wrong? I'll check my calcium and report back.

Well, I'll look into the neon blue gobys... how many do you think would be ok? How's a school of 3? Either way I have at the least a whole month to think about what sort of fish I want to keep :11:

[Cliff]

It would be very important to test for the elements that you dose, especially calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. When those three elements are within the safe zone, stable, and balanced, your pH will be a lot more stable which is a very good thing. When those elements are way out of balance, you will most likely run into problems. In very extreme cases, even a tank crash. In low demanding tanks you can typically replace all the consumed elements with a slightly larger water change and keep all of your parameters nice and stable even without dosing. You can use your test results to tell you when and how much to dose. That would be a lot safer approach IMO.

I think you could safely do three of those gobies in a 10 gallon. You might be able to add one or two more, but I'm not 100% positive about that. Maybe look into a little more and see. I have never kept marine tank that small so I'm not completely sure here.

[sheamurai]

You will need a lid with the small neon gobies - I had a school of five in my tank, and they played chase so much they chased each other right out of the tank. I lost two very fast, then one at a time til I had only one left. I ended up keeping that one til my heater malfunction. they are great little fish tho. Depending on how much coral you are going to get - which depends on your lighting - you might even be able to do as many as five as Clint indicated.

A good rule of thumb to follow in reef keeping - don't dose what you don't test for first. With corals, your water quality is more of an issue - fish can tolerate a wider range of conditions, but corals not so much - and you want to keep things as stable as you can. Too much of any given element can do more harm than good. With your current stocking, and with such a new tank, you shouldn't have to dose anything in that size tank given regular water changes for a while yet.

[Steemax]

It would be very important to test for the elements that you dose, especially calcium, alkalinity and magnesium. When those three elements are within the safe zone, stable, and balanced, your pH will be a lot more stable which is a very good thing. When those elements are way out of balance, you will most likely run into problems. In very extreme cases, even a tank crash. In low demanding tanks you can typically replace all the consumed elements with a slightly larger water change and keep all of your parameters nice and stable even without dosing. You can use your test results to tell you when and how much to dose. That would be a lot safer approach IMO.

I think you could safely do three of those gobies in a 10 gallon. You might be able to add one or two more, but I'm not 100% positive about that. Maybe look into a little more and see. I have never kept marine tank that small so I'm not completely sure here.



You will need a lid with the small neon gobies - I had a school of five in my tank, and they played chase so much they chased each other right out of the tank. I lost two very fast, then one at a time til I had only one left. I ended up keeping that one til my heater malfunction. they are great little fish tho. Depending on how much coral you are going to get - which depends on your lighting - you might even be able to do as many as five as Clint indicated.

A good rule of thumb to follow in reef keeping - don't dose what you don't test for first. With corals, your water quality is more of an issue - fish can tolerate a wider range of conditions, but corals not so much - and you want to keep things as stable as you can. Too much of any given element can do more harm than good. With your current stocking, and with such a new tank, you shouldn't have to dose anything in that size tank given regular water changes for a while yet.


Thanks for the advice, I'll order a few testers to see if I even have a need to supplement calcium, magnesium etc... I can see how there's really no point in adding any at the moment since I don't have anything that demands it and uses a large quantity of lets say calcium.

As for the gobies I did some research and saw some people keeping anywhere between 3 and 5 safely in a 10 gallon, but only time will tell what I go with. I may get a single Pygmy possum wrasse.. those are really growing on me.


TANK UPDATE: So after all this stocking I did a water test today, Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 PH: 8.1 Nitrate 5PPM
Not bad for a week long cycle. Another good sign is about 25% of the brown algae/diatoms have deteriorated by itself already.
I also decided I need more lighting but wasn't ready to drop so much cash for intense lighting on a nano so I added one of those submersible Marineland LED bulbs that attach to the rim of the tank. I'll post some pics below.

I also ordered a Koralia Nano circulation pump to replace or even use in conjunction with the Max-jet 400 I'm currently using.

Anyway here are some pics!

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/B3B31DD5-A2D3-42D8-B38A-3A635751BB8F-3051-000001F0225F90A1_zps7b6d8f7b.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/B3B31DD5-A2D3-42D8-B38A-3A635751BB8F-3051-000001F0225F90A1_zps7b6d8f7b.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/2FC8C79C-66FF-45D7-B052-99BB254918CB-3051-000001F01AF31BB5_zps9bdf3989.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/2FC8C79C-66FF-45D7-B052-99BB254918CB-3051-000001F01AF31BB5_zps9bdf3989.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/1588116C-ED3E-4B90-AD46-B52EBD2117D3-3051-000001F01364008A_zpsc9491041.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/1588116C-ED3E-4B90-AD46-B52EBD2117D3-3051-000001F01364008A_zpsc9491041.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/31C613DB-E212-402C-A4A8-AD2BCCB2F480-3051-000001F00E0FF913_zpsef5dc887.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/31C613DB-E212-402C-A4A8-AD2BCCB2F480-3051-000001F00E0FF913_zpsef5dc887.jpg.html)

[Steemax]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/4BB7F91E-9793-4D64-8A0F-DA3EB9434471-3051-000001F007C74839_zpse1f281ca.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/4BB7F91E-9793-4D64-8A0F-DA3EB9434471-3051-000001F007C74839_zpse1f281ca.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/964886FF-44A0-4B3C-8AF9-2E037FB88F05-3051-000001F001D4C7F5_zps0a0b8e67.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/964886FF-44A0-4B3C-8AF9-2E037FB88F05-3051-000001F001D4C7F5_zps0a0b8e67.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/8CDE7C83-4465-4DF5-A8F5-9888F6F569E5-3051-000001EFF7B17FA2_zps19b8a9f8.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/8CDE7C83-4465-4DF5-A8F5-9888F6F569E5-3051-000001EFF7B17FA2_zps19b8a9f8.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/947F3F85-3DF7-4901-88A1-FEA34B6B3B21-3051-000001EFEC88A632_zps08c806d4.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/947F3F85-3DF7-4901-88A1-FEA34B6B3B21-3051-000001EFEC88A632_zps08c806d4.jpg.html)

[Strider199]

Nice looking set-up Steemax. Keeping a journal going with pictures is a very good tool over time IMO. You can look back at these in a year or so and see how the tank has progressed. Keep it up. thumbs2:

[Steemax]

Nice looking set-up Steemax. Keeping a journal going with pictures is a very good tool over time IMO. You can look back at these in a year or so and see how the tank has progressed. Keep it up. thumbs2:

Thanks Strider! It really would be interesting to go back later on to see what i had done.

Update: Small video of the tank I recorded:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUZc6n2clo

[Steemax]

Update:
So the skimmer came in today... I love everything about it, especially the surface skimmer attachment and the built in filter chamber that comes filled with carbon... It's working great too... Nice thick skimmate BUT it's super loud. The tank is in my bedroom and since the skimmer is just out in the open the noise is unbearable.

So I'm throwing around the idea of returning it and purchasing an aqua clear 70 to turn into a mini HOB refugium instead....

Thoughts?

[Cliff]

What type of skimmer do you currently have ?

There usually are modification that can be done to most HOB skimmers to make them more quite which can be easier (and cheaper) than modifying a aquaclear into a HOB refugium.

[Steemax]

What type of skimmer do you currently have ?

There usually are modification that can be done to most HOB skimmers to make them more quite which can be easier (and cheaper) than modifying a aquaclear into a HOB refugium.

It was a Red Sea Prizm Deluxe. Was the loudest thing ever, I returned it and went with a AquaticLife Mini Skimmer (Internal). This thing is amazing! its day 2 and its breaking in nice! My circulation pump also came in, this things is awesome!

Here are some pics I took today:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/E59496C3-18E8-4892-8DFF-96D4C66EC91F-1830-000001110DADFB74_zps38cb3fba.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/E59496C3-18E8-4892-8DFF-96D4C66EC91F-1830-000001110DADFB74_zps38cb3fba.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/5D23E2FA-08C4-49F9-B880-E85E70B20D9B-1830-000001110887D21A_zps650521aa.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/5D23E2FA-08C4-49F9-B880-E85E70B20D9B-1830-000001110887D21A_zps650521aa.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/0F9CCE92-7C8C-4A1C-8912-ED53ED2DD67A-1830-0000011104282595_zps9c0e790a.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/0F9CCE92-7C8C-4A1C-8912-ED53ED2DD67A-1830-0000011104282595_zps9c0e790a.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/D70498C9-6F2C-46BA-B49D-9F661497ADCE-1830-00000110F772F264_zps2ef4d8b4.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/D70498C9-6F2C-46BA-B49D-9F661497ADCE-1830-00000110F772F264_zps2ef4d8b4.jpg.html)

[Steemax]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/18C162D0-186C-4DAF-8711-B861E3D477EB-1830-00000110ED4737EB_zps5d80eafe.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/18C162D0-186C-4DAF-8711-B861E3D477EB-1830-00000110ED4737EB_zps5d80eafe.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/D07501CD-23E1-4E55-89A2-5A8F28E07591-1830-00000110E83F1615_zps25830029.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/D07501CD-23E1-4E55-89A2-5A8F28E07591-1830-00000110E83F1615_zps25830029.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/3854CEBE-E4C1-4B43-87A3-E591FBE0C718-1830-00000110D944BA1F_zps79b9af10.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/3854CEBE-E4C1-4B43-87A3-E591FBE0C718-1830-00000110D944BA1F_zps79b9af10.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/67A4DBCD-AFA1-4A8F-B6DC-97E666A9FA0A-1830-00000110D152AA22_zps2d2f7832.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/67A4DBCD-AFA1-4A8F-B6DC-97E666A9FA0A-1830-00000110D152AA22_zps2d2f7832.jpg.html)

[Cliff]

Glad to hear the new skimmer is working out great for you

One of the first skimmers that I owned was a Red Sea and I could not replace that thing fast enough.

Your looks like it is coming along nicely. I really like the multi color zoa frag

[sheamurai]

I think everyone starts with a Red Sea, and no one keeps it longer than a week, lol.

tank looks great!

[Steemax]

Glad to hear the new skimmer is working out great for you

One of the first skimmers that I owned was a Red Sea and I could not replace that thing fast enough.

Your looks like it is coming along nicely. I really like the multi color zoa frag


I think everyone starts with a Red Sea, and no one keeps it longer than a week, lol.

tank looks great!

Tell me about it! I just shipped it back out today. Decided to use that money towards some new lighting! That submersible LED light I had decided to give out. Took it out and realized it had filled with salt water... BOO!!! So I ordered this puppy http://www.amazon.com/Wave-point-12-Inch-16-Watt-DaylightMicro-Output/dp/B007ZK816S/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1376622313&sr=1-1&keywords=01119 to use alongside my fluval 6w led fixture for a total of 22 watts... should be enough for softies in a 10 gallon nano! Plus I heard a lot of good things about this wave-point fixture.

Here are some Update pics... (I went with a tomato clown and a yellow tail damsel... I know, I know! no clowns in a 10 gal, I couldn't resist though and I have plans on starting a second 40 gallon breeder reef that I'll move him into)... Anyway its an aggressive little fella... when it comes to feeding time, it attacks the damsel if it comes anywhere near.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/96287A6B-BA94-492E-95F3-A9E0635C3CA5-4266-00000310AA565984_zpsd695cf96.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/96287A6B-BA94-492E-95F3-A9E0635C3CA5-4266-00000310AA565984_zpsd695cf96.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/AAEDE0FE-6D94-487E-900E-78C5F83AD5DE-4266-00000310A4D6FCAB_zps57f4bbc9.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/AAEDE0FE-6D94-487E-900E-78C5F83AD5DE-4266-00000310A4D6FCAB_zps57f4bbc9.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/B89CBEF9-1173-4824-B0B7-BDCE50193AC2-4266-000003109B851599_zps98464d0d.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/B89CBEF9-1173-4824-B0B7-BDCE50193AC2-4266-000003109B851599_zps98464d0d.jpg.html)

[Steemax]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/C7CE3A75-DF88-4F87-8956-6690A2E0A2F8-4266-00000310954EDA05_zps011b07c0.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/C7CE3A75-DF88-4F87-8956-6690A2E0A2F8-4266-00000310954EDA05_zps011b07c0.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/1EFDE3CF-7BBC-492A-A610-308B18F21F02-4266-000003108C989A7D_zpsfb7a3df4.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/1EFDE3CF-7BBC-492A-A610-308B18F21F02-4266-000003108C989A7D_zpsfb7a3df4.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/860672A0-0BA0-4779-900B-6C7AC302FA8A-4266-00000310844F010A_zps5b2c0d20.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/860672A0-0BA0-4779-900B-6C7AC302FA8A-4266-00000310844F010A_zps5b2c0d20.jpg.html)

[Spardas]

Nice little setup! Yes, those tomato clowns are quite aggressive. Is it beating hard on the damsel relentlessly or only during feeding time?

Is that a plastic band on the LR, lol? Did you get it from Petco?

[Cliff]

Keep a close eye on those two fish. In the short term, I would be more worried about the damsel. Once the damsel picks a territory for his own, he will defend it (to the death in some cases) and as you have him in a 10 gallon, that won't eave a lot of room for the clown to go to.

You likely have about a year before that clown fish starts to get to get closer to his average adult size (which is around 5 inches).

Even when you up grade your tank to a 40 gallon, you still may have to rehome one of the fish as both are semi-aggressive and the damsel will become territorial.

Just some concerns to keep a eye open for.

[Steemax]

Nice little setup! Yes, those tomato clowns are quite aggressive. Is it beating hard on the damsel relentlessly or only during feeding time?

Is that a plastic band on the LR, lol? Did you get it from Petco?

Haha, yeah that one piece is from Petco... And only during feeding time, but the Damsel is holdings its own by flaring its fins right back at the clown which doesn't seem to phase the clown one bit :ssuprised:


Keep a close eye on those two fish. In the short term, I would be more worried about the damsel. Once the damsel picks a territory for his own, he will defend it (to the death in some cases) and as you have him in a 10 gallon, that won't eave a lot of room for the clown to go to.

You likely have about a year before that clown fish starts to get to get closer to his average adult size (which is around 5 inches).

Even when you up grade your tank to a 40 gallon, you still may have to rehome one of the fish as both are semi-aggressive and the damsel will become territorial.

Just some concerns to keep a eye open for.

Interesting... ok, well I guess I can just give away my Damsel to my cousin if things start to heat up between them.
Thanks for the info! :19:

[Steemax]

UPDATE pics: Picked up a beautiful multi color mushroom colony from my LFS (mom and pop) for $35... I thought it was a steal!!! :19:

Anyway... posts are useless without pics:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/4662CD88-1890-419E-9210-A26A76C5341C-1093-0000009168CEBAB0_zps3b3dd0fc.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/4662CD88-1890-419E-9210-A26A76C5341C-1093-0000009168CEBAB0_zps3b3dd0fc.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/B641E981-AE67-413A-A2B5-9BB44AF1E49B-1093-00000091639A1486_zps6fe35465.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/B641E981-AE67-413A-A2B5-9BB44AF1E49B-1093-00000091639A1486_zps6fe35465.jpg.html)

Also spotted some coraline beginning to form!
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/70E2B203-961A-4620-886A-65BA1E48FDBA-1093-000000921CDBDDE7_zpsb08f359c.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/70E2B203-961A-4620-886A-65BA1E48FDBA-1093-000000921CDBDDE7_zpsb08f359c.jpg.html)

[Steemax]

Here are some updates with Pics!!! These shots are with the new lighting, the camera is unable to pick up the actual lighting colors though... Total of 22 watts


http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/E1A55B0A-493E-4568-AB3E-7FD702290396-4052-000002AFA13B338C_zpsfe52007a.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/E1A55B0A-493E-4568-AB3E-7FD702290396-4052-000002AFA13B338C_zpsfe52007a.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/57FA8C90-DB1C-4D83-A8F4-72979817CDEA-4052-000002AF9CF366A3_zpsab86c378.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/57FA8C90-DB1C-4D83-A8F4-72979817CDEA-4052-000002AF9CF366A3_zpsab86c378.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/7D1D056E-6D8F-407F-967F-963A8A26AB59-4052-000002AF97F03330_zps4cc894d0.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/7D1D056E-6D8F-407F-967F-963A8A26AB59-4052-000002AF97F03330_zps4cc894d0.jpg.html)

[Steemax]

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/552F3A84-2767-4004-9108-BAC19282D540-4052-000002AF92BAF958_zpsd84f65cf.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/552F3A84-2767-4004-9108-BAC19282D540-4052-000002AF92BAF958_zpsd84f65cf.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/C88579DB-7417-41DE-B07A-13FE9CD878BC-4052-000002AF8DE66688_zpse2f08709.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/C88579DB-7417-41DE-B07A-13FE9CD878BC-4052-000002AF8DE66688_zpse2f08709.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/6D504189-850F-43EA-A19A-8EC6FD3F2AF6-4052-000002AF895CD51D_zps3475b82f.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/6D504189-850F-43EA-A19A-8EC6FD3F2AF6-4052-000002AF895CD51D_zps3475b82f.jpg.html)
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/C1F3CD79-F67C-467A-A3A4-897873098E10-4052-000002AF827BD5BC_zps2e2f3e96.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/C1F3CD79-F67C-467A-A3A4-897873098E10-4052-000002AF827BD5BC_zps2e2f3e96.jpg.html)

[Spardas]

*Twitches *
That petco plastic band......... lol

Tank is coming along nicely though.

Any shrimps in there?

[Steemax]

*Twitches *
That petco plastic band......... lol

Tank is coming along nicely though.

Any shrimps in there?

Haha I really need to cut that, is it safe to use SS scissors in the tank?

And I had the cleaner shrimp until the emerald turned it into dinner :( that emerald is a trouble maker.... It also killed one of my hermits

[Spardas]

Don't see why not if you're just going in for a quick snip. Just make sure there's no strange residue or chemicals on it...

Uh, that's one mean emerald. Did you see it kill the shrimp? I mean, I wouldn't pass anything on a crab but was the shrimp molting? Or did the shrimp die and he just went in for dinner?

[Steemax]

Don't see why not if you're just going in for a quick snip. Just make sure there's no strange residue or chemicals on it...

Uh, that's one mean emerald. Did you see it kill the shrimp? I mean, I wouldn't pass anything on a crab but was the shrimp molting? Or did the shrimp die and he just went in for dinner?

Alright alright Ill take a stab at cutting it off thumbs2:

Well it was just sitting on the rock molting, next thing i see is the emerald dragging it by the shrimps antenna followed by a $20 meal :scry: This crab seems like a rebel, it's always trying to make it to the top of the tank. Once I turn off the lights I can hear it banging against the glass trying to climb up the heater/skimmer to make an escape.

[William]

Emerald crabs turn predatory when there isnt enough algae around for them to eat. In an aquarium with enough algae they are friendly and reefsafe.

[Steemax]

UPDATE! Tank is doing great, here's a pic of how it looks as of today...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/F2877F8F-4760-4224-ACD3-69393A16AF32-830-00000087A74B9425_zps90a3bab8.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/F2877F8F-4760-4224-ACD3-69393A16AF32-830-00000087A74B9425_zps90a3bab8.jpg.html)

So as I was anticipating, I'll be upgrading to a 40 gallon breeder within the week! I'll be getting back my original 40 gallon with the custom DIY wood stained stand this week. I'll be sterilizing it with 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water for a full day. If anyone has any tips on the best way to sterilize a fish tank, i'd appreciate the tips!

Also I started parting together the filtration for it. So far I did pretty good I'd say...

Eshopps R-100 Refugium/Sump (still sealed in the box, only pic i have right now)

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/805D9930-CEFF-4E24-AAE3-F5002F236013-830-000000879E68A26D_zps7b44d1f2.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/805D9930-CEFF-4E24-AAE3-F5002F236013-830-000000879E68A26D_zps7b44d1f2.jpg.html)

Eshopps F-800 800gph overflow & CAD Lights TIA 1150 Skimmer

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i34/steemlives/0B7187E6-9F6F-4A57-BA37-3BAF97E169B9-830-00000087953C2C2B_zps2439e899.jpg (http://s68.photobucket.com/user/steemlives/media/0B7187E6-9F6F-4A57-BA37-3BAF97E169B9-830-00000087953C2C2B_zps2439e899.jpg.html)

Also I got a killer deal on the skimmer... $150.00 :18:


I'll be placing an order through Buildmyled for my lighting and probably be ordering a Hydor L40 for my return pump.

[Fishkeeper]

Just to let you know, what you've got there is the nice variety of damsel. They stay small, as well as being fairly peaceful. They pick out a small cave to protect and may bite anyone who tries to invade their home spot, but they're quite peaceful otherwise. Mine decided he hated a clown goby I had, but he took one nip and decided not to do that again. Clown gobies taste horrible. After that, he just stuck to flaring at it.
On a side note, I'd recommend clown gobies. Things won't attack them because their slime coat tastes horrible, and they're brightly colored, cute, bold, hardy, and not picky eaters. Clown gobies are all under two inches, and they come in black, brown, yellow, orange, green, and blue-green. Technically those are different species from eachother, but they all get to something like 1"-1 1/2" long and they aren't picky eaters.