Nano reef project

[sunfishman]

i bought a 10 gallon flat back hex acrylic tank @ goodwill around a month or so, and decided to try my hand at a nanoreef. i have currently a PC retro in the hood with 50/50 bulbs, i have a total of about 7 wpg, as i am using a large pc fixture. i used some LR and LS from my established tank, and within a week the thing was cycled. the stock list is as follows:

1 red shroom (2 daughter polyps about to detatch)
2 2" frags of green star polyps
1 yellow sea whip frag (removed from my big tank, eats and grows like a weed)
3 blue leg hermits
assorted feather dusters, sponges and pods from the live rock
several snails


to be added:
porcelan crab
several zoas
several xenia colonies


maintenance:
1 g w/c every week
auto top off with RO water
supplements with various trace elements and phytoplankton (for the gorgonian)

everything is growing and looking great, once i said i would never be in to nanos but now i am starting to het addicted!

[Fishguy2727]

You will only need one frag of Xenia, it will take over from there.

Be careful with filter feeders (Gorgonian, porcelain crab) in such a small tank. If it gets enough food the tank will probably be overfed and end up with algae problems.

You have a good water change schedule (may have top bump up to two gallons a week or one gallon twice a week) so if you have a good salt you shouldn't need anything that adds trace elements.

Be careful with mushrooms, they can get pretty big and can easily take over such a small tank.

Sounds great, any pics yet?

[Cliff]

I'd love to see some pics

I'm looking forward to readin more about your nano set-up

They are really interesting to me and I would love to try one some day

[sunfishman]

the filter feeders have only so much food as i will allow in such a small tank, the sand bed has a good ammount of plankton, hopefully once the system has settled in, most of the nutrients can come from the live sand and adding food will be extra. i change the water at least a gallon a week, but often more if the trates and other elements are out of whack.
anyway, the gorgonian was in pretty bad shape before it was put in the nano. parts of the skeleton was exposed and it looked like a certain sally lightfoot played pop-the-polyp with it. now, the gorgonian has re covered the tips of the fronds, and the areas in the middle of branches have bridged together. it looks like its trying to branch off some more now.

and i know everyone says watch out for shrooms. i have mine isolated from the other corals on their own "island" of LR. and i can always pop some off and give them to others!