10g Nano

[Seiryoku]

It has been a while since I posted here. I've been lurking here, as well as a few other forums, for months now reading up on saltwater and I am finally setting one up ^^ FedEx lost my delivery of sand/salt so the entire project is on hold until this weekend, UPS also rescheduled the delivery date of my light from this Friday to Tuesday...

I plan on stocking the tank with a pair of clowns and possibly a yellow watchman goby as well as some corals.

■10g AGA, back painted black with custom built stand (still need to add the door)

■AC70 (refuge mod) I have impellers for the 20 and 30 to lower the flow, and a palm light. Still need to make a light baffle and mount the light.

■Hydrometer (x2) I got one from a friend and ordered the other to make me feel better about the salinity reading until I can get a refractometer


■UTR's Auto Top Off System
■Maxi-Jet 900/600, one of the two should be ok with the flow from the AC and Prizm
■Current USA Orbit 20" 2 x 40 Watt
■Stealth 50w Heater (It will live in the AC)
■Prizm HOB Skimmer (got it cheap from a friend)
■Digital Thermometer
■Reef Crystals
■Arag-Alive Special Grade Sand 20#
■Joe's Juice (just in case)
■Marine-S 1.76oz (will get frozen mysis shrimp locally)

Forgot to mention the live rock! I found a couple of LFS that have good prices. One has Fiji at 3.99-9.99 a pound depending on how cured it is. The other has Fiji at 4.99 a pound and 3.99 a pound if you buy over 20 as well as Indonesian for 6.99 a pound, but I'm not familiar with the Indonesian live rock. They both said they have a lot to choose from right now and plenty of nano size pieces.

I'm probably forgetting something and the list might look a little messy right now since I'm only half awake. I suppose I'll use this thread as a journal so feel free to make any comments or suggestions!

 

[Seiryoku]

I'm assuming you don't run the skimmer while cycling the tank, but I'm not positive.

 

[Guysy1110]

Not sure about the skimmer, sorry. But i think this should look very nice when done, good luck !

 

[Lotus]

You can run the skimmer while it's cycling, it helps remove excess nutrients, so you're less likely to have huge algae problems.

 

[TRe]

looking good so far... on my 10 gallon i dont run a skimmer and i only have 40 watts so your already doing better than me.... only thing i can say is take your time and have patiance

 

[Seiryoku]

Thanks for the replies ^^

I wasn't going to get a skimmer in the beginning, but I got it for $25 from a friend that upgraded. I've read good and bad about the Prizm, maybe I'll get lucky with it.

My sand and salt mix will both arrive Friday so I'm all set to add it to the tank. I'll probably go get the LR Sunday and add it as well. I'll try to post more pictures of it all if I remember in all of the excitement.

 

[SALTY WATERS]

-Yes run your skimmer durring the cycle.
-The Prizm is not to bad a skimmer just finiky... you need to do fine adjustments on it's flow valve until you find it's sweat spot, then double check it an hour later to make sure!

Look forward to seeing this progress

 

[Seiryoku]

I started setting everything up last night. I ended up putting in about 15 pounds of live sand (a little over an inch). I had trouble getting the specific gravity where I wanted it (crappy hydrometer probably isn't helping any) but when I checked it this morning it was right in between 1.025 and 1.026. I'll take a sample in for testing with a refractometer to be safe.

My 50w heater is in the AC70 fuge I made and when I checked the temp this morning it was a little low at 76.5. It gets down to 62 or so in my house at night right now and there is no cover on the tank yet. I'm hoping that adding a glass cover in the winter will be enough to keep the temp up at night.

I fired up the skimmer to start the break in cycle, so far it is working ok for not having anything to skim. It is pretty loud though, will it quite down at all after it has been running for a few weeks?

I'm going to get my live rock tomorrow, probably around 12 pounds. I'll try to post some pictures of everything tonight when I get home as well as tomorrow after I get the live rock ^_^

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you think you're going to get a watchman goby, shove the sand out of the way when you add the live rock so it is right on the bottom... that way, the goby can't dig under it and cause it to fall, and it's more stable. Then once it's all stacked up, push the sand back around it.

I agree the Prizm is touchy, it likes reasonably stable water level but in a 10g you'll have to keep it stable anyways. It does a good job if you've got it adjusted right though. It shouldn't be too loud (I'm not sure if this is because mine is broken in or what).

Just out of curiosity, what is the chain hanging down from?

 

[Seiryoku]

Thanks for the tip on the sand/rock.

I'm working on an air powered auto top off system for the tank, hopefully it works like I'm hoping it will.

The pump is quite, but the air part of it seems to be loud to me (I've never heard a skimmer running before though). Part of it may be because I have the flow turned down to almost nothing so it can break in with out filling my tank with micro bubbles.

The chain is from a hanging lamp I need to move ^^

 

[Lorna]

Not sure if I would put two clowns AND a watchman gobie in a 10g. In fact a 10g may be too small for the clown pair. I would be more inclined to go with the watchman and a pistol shrimp pair......(mine are in a 20g along with a citron gobie and pygmy angel)

 

[Seiryoku]

I was going to get a pair of tank bred Ocellaris Clownfish. I've read that tank bred fish tend to stay smaller. I know everyone says it, but I'm also planning on upgrading to a 29g or larger within a year or so if all goes well with the 10g.

I'll look into my stocking ideas some more though.

 

[Seiryoku]

I got my live rock today!

About 15.5# cost me $65. I got mostly Fiji, but added a few pieces of Tonga and one piece of something I can't remember how to spell. I think I want to get one more piece to add to the left pile just above/behind the tip of the Tonga. Other than that everything feels pretty secure.

My light wont be here until Tuesday, so the pictures aren't all that great. That and my batteries died as I was taking these so I had to hurry in order to get the pictures to my computer.

I broke off some of the bottom of the rock on the right since it was just solid smooth stuff.

I had to add the second heater to the tank in order to keep the temp up at night. I was either planning on keeping it there during winter or adding a second 50w (the 75w stealth is to long for the AC70) to my AC70. Are there any problems with running two heaters right next to each other as long as they don't actually touch? (I've never had space problems in any of my FW tanks)

 

[saltwater4life]

Looks good
Keep us up to date

 

[Panther28]

Rock looks good! Got pretty good rock. Did you order over the net? Looking good. Keep us updated. The more pics the better!!

 

[Seiryoku]

I got it from a LSF and almost ended up with a mantis shrimp! The guy helping me and I were looking over a piece I had him pull out and we both spotted it poke it's head out of a hole, needles to say I didn't take that piece. I'll post more pictures when I get some new batteries for my camera.

I also picked up a clown pleco and banjo catfish while I was there ^_^ (for my 46g FW)

 

[Seiryoku]

I found some feather dusters on a rock! I know one is defiantly a feather duster, but I'm not 100% sure on the other. It was hard to photograph with my camera so I'm going to borrow a friends tomorrow and try again. The light is just a desk lamp until my orbit arrives Tuesday so don't mind the yellow.

**I just found another feather duster on a different rock. I feel bad for the little thing though, I don't know if it can fully extend with out hitting the side of the tank.

This one I know is a feather duster, there are also two others that are so tiny I can't photograph at all.

This is the one that I'm not 100% sure of. It looks like a feather duster only with out a white tube to hide in. I also found a group of 3-4 smaller ones on another part of the rock.

With flash.

With out flash.

 

[IDunnoWhy]

Nice looking set-up, I'm always so confused about saltwater stuff, seems like there is so much more equipment, but I try to follow along. Keep the pics coming!

 

[saltwater4life]

Looking good.
Keep us up to date,
Nick

 

[Seiryoku]

I spent months reading many saltwater forums and I'm still running into things I have to lookup. As with most things, a lot of the knowledge comes best from experience ^^

I'll be sure to post more pictures tomorrow when I get a hold of a better camera.

After taking a closer look at my "unknown" feather dusters I think they may be tiny Aiptasia! I ordered some Joe's Juice a while ago just in case I ended up with them though. I'm hoping I can get a better picture tomorrow to post of them.