10 gallon nano reef journal (pics)

[unwritten law]

Yeah I repositioned one powerhead that was shooting up so it now indirectly pushes around the sand.... I'll cut back the light since right now its on for like... well probably too long, I don't know how long right now.

After this past week, the corals I still see or didn't have to recover look great. I keep forgetting my camera in my car but I'll take pics soon. Mostly the zoas and gsp have opened nicely and the tree coral has attached and expanded a bit already.

My xenia I had first is going crazy and pulses a lot so it's still probably my fav.

I know clowns are technically damsels... Is there another type someone would suggest besides false percs? I still want to add a six line eventually... They look too cool not to have.

 

[Lotus]

Were the clowns you bought wild-caught or tank bred? In general, anything tank bred is more hardy than wild-caught fish.

It may just have been a bad batch at the store.

 

[unwritten law]

I got them all within a few days of each other and could be a bad batch.... Which is what I am thinking... They were tank bred... at least that's what I was told I know I'm not gonna get any clowns at work "petco" unless they were the skunks that we have had for a few weeks. What do you guys think about skunks? I know we have had them for a very long time and most likely have paired up, two together in the same tank for the entirety with a blue tang. I know skunks are suppose to be more timid and these guys do seem it but also seem healthy.... They are orange, not pink skunks.

 

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I got the skunk clowns at work cause I know they are either healthy and hardy or just really hardy considering how long they have been at work. I also read in our stores marine fish book (haha) that they are less likely to get clown fish disease (brook something or another) which sounds like why my other ones died. So far I'm drip acclimating and I'll get pics once I get my camera out of my car... I also got some nassarius snails to hopefully help with the sand algae a bit a long with cutting back the light.

 

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[zoalover34]

looks nice! do you have any rocks with coraline on em? If not you need to get some

 

[unwritten law]

I had one originally but I don't know how much of it really survived the cycle... Some of the rocks are getting more and more purple though. I'll try and trade some rock with a buddy who has coraline. Will it not happen on it's own and what is the real significance besides out-competing bad algae?

 

[zoalover34]

coraline is the bacterria needed to break down the ammonia.. if u have some it spreads alot faster.. You can have him scrape some off his glass and just seed your tank that way also.. hth

 

[Lotus]

Sometimes coraline just takes a while to get going. Mine didn't grow much for the first six months, then it just went crazy. Then, a few months later I started to curse it when I had to scrape it off the tank walls

The flow at the surface looks a little low from your video.

 

[unwritten law]

Sometimes coraline just takes a while to get going. Mine didn't grow much for the first six months, then it just went crazy. Then, a few months later I started to curse it when I had to scrape it off the tank walls

The flow at the surface looks a little low from your video.

I have some coraline from my friends tank but it went white after a while during the cycle...If he has some to spare now I'll get some when I can... I'm working quite a bit this week.

I had more flow at the surface but moved a powerhead to reduce algae on the sand... I'll move the one making the flow at the surface so it is a bit more.

 

[unwritten law]

my buddy scrapped his tank a lot today considering he quit his job,.... then siphoned up the scrapings, put it in a gallon jug and gave it to me... I'm gonna use it as a top off and it couldn't really hurt, hopefully there is some good coraline in it...

 

[unwritten law]

So I added the gallon of water that apparently had coraline in it somehow but I don't know how much it's gonna help. I think I just need to get a rock of his with some on it...

So I am thinking about setting up a wet/dry filter since canister are suppose to be bad for SW cause of trapped debris....Than I can use the canister for other things, like a new 30 gallon FW tank..

I think I would just buy an overflow box to be easy then use an extra 10 or 15 gallon tank as the container. Have a intake section so the water enters under the water line and is quieter and I can store a heater. Then have it overflow a divider into a section of filter floss and a plastic panel to distribute water over bio balls evenly. Then have it go under a panel into the return section with a pump. I think I will use a CPR CS50 overflow and probably a rio return pump with a flow rate control valve.

This will only happen if my room mate buys my fluval I'm using now for his potentially new 30 gallon...If I do thi will it mess up my cycle at all? I think most of my bacteria should be in the rock in my tank and the fluval is just polishing the water a bit and take out some debris (which is getting trapped and potentially building up nitrates). Also this would help increase my water volume.

Any comments on this idea?

 

[unwritten law]

sump or wet/dry is out the window cause I can't afford it and it'll be too much of a hassle with school just starting again..

I do see some coraline especially on my thermometer and powerhead so I am assuming it's on the rock in places too. Everything thing else is fine except my salinity is a bit high from adding my friends coraline infused water last week...

 

[unwritten law]

Lost a turbo today. Found him this morning on his side and after I turned him over he didn't move after 8 hours. Usually so happy I turn them over they move right away. Also found another dead crab ( I think ) so I'm gonna replace the turbo and add/replace three crabs. Also considering a pepermint shrimp.

Might get them all tomorrow.

Skunk clowns are doing great and eating flake mostly although I might get pellets soon for them.

Corals are doing fine and while finding a dead snail I found a larger red thing under a rock. MY LONG LOST MUSHROOM!!! I placed it near my Rica and I'll get some pics of everything soon. I'm sure that now that my mushroom is no longer under a rock it will take time to open back up under the new light.

 

[Lotus]

Good to hear things are generally going well!

 

[unwritten law]

generally yes...

 

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Got this guy at wet pets, near Pittsburgh PA today.

Within 30 minutes he went to town on some green bubble algae, which was the reason for his purchase.

 

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napolean doing work

 

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So I want to add another fish.

So Far the stock is just two orange skunk clowns, turbos, nassarius, hermits, and the emerald. 20 or pounds of rock and soft corals.

I was thinking about a sixline wrasse but I don't know how he will do in a 20 gallon with my two very docile clowns. Also what about a type of goby. I was thinking a small clown goby or firefish wouldn't be bad. Could I eventually add both the wrasse and the clown goby? Any other suggestions on fish?

 

[unwritten law]

also I might go with a yellow watchman... thats an option i think.