First reef: 10 Gallon AGA: Major update!

[aquarium]

Hello out there!
I have been lurking around this forum for a while now, but this is my first time posting a build. So, let me introduce myself. I am 13 (now 14) years old, I have maintained freshwater aquariums for almost 5 years, but this is my first reef.

 

Anyway, on to the tank! The tank is a standard 10 gallon all glass aquarium. this aquarium was a FW setup so it didn't cost me anything. I swapped some freshwater fish for some live rock with a friend, filled the tank with sand and then filled with water. Sadly, I don't have any pics from setup, because I wasn't planning to post the tank on NR. The 10 gallon has been running for over a year now.

Equipment list
Tank: 10 Gallon All Glass Aquarium: Free!
Filter: API super clean 30 filter (running purigen, carbon, and filter floss)
Lighting: Current lighting is Odessey 2xT5 fixture (insufficient, I know) but I am currently working on a DIY LED fixture. (almost done!)
Heater: 75 watt aquatop heater: $18
Flow Hydor koralia Nano 240: $22

Stock list:
Inverts:
5 blue leg hermits
Randall's Pistol Shrimp
Cerith snails
2 Astrea snails
Corals:
favia
Toadstool leather coral + small frag
Pulsing Xenia
Frogspawn coral
Maxi mini anemone
Rock flower anemone

unknown zooanthids

hitchhiker palys​​

Fish:
Yellow Watchman Goby
Talbot's Damsel fish
Percula clown

 

Aquarium levels:

Nitrate: ~0

nitrite: 0

Ammonia: .25 (using api kit, so this might not be real)

pH: 8.2-8.4

calcium: 480 ppm

dkh: 10

phosphate: <.25 (hard to tell)

Thanks so much for reading, the fun is yet to come

[cju84]

Welcome to NR! Make sure you completely cycle your tank before adding your clean up crew.

 

Post pics when you can!

[aquarium]

Welcome to NR! Make sure you completely cycle your tank before adding your clean up crew.

 

Post pics when you can!

Thanks! The tank is almost 4 months old now, and I waited before adding the CUC and the stock from the pico until the tank was almost 3 months old and the levels were stable. I'll post pics tomorrow when I can set up a nice camera.

[aquarium]

Hello Again,

I got some pics of the tank today, so here they are

 

tank shot:

Duncan:

Anemone:

FTS:

[aquarium]

Tommorow, My mom is going shopping and she will take me to a really nice LFS. What should I get? Fish, corals? what would you reccomend.

[TheTeenReefer]

A single blue damsel would be a good choice. Has a small bioload, and pretty cool color.

Remember to add things slowwwly though. Wouldn't want the tank to crash like mine did.

[ndrobey]

If you put a good lid on it to prevent jumping out, your choices would include a goby, a watchman goby/ pistol shrimp combo, various blennies, a pygmy wrasse.

[aquarium]

If you put a good lid on it to prevent jumping out, your choices would include a goby, a watchman goby/ pistol shrimp combo, various blennies, a pygmy wrasse.

thanks for the tip! that's what I wound up getting, both are tiny (<1 inch). unfortunatley, the lights are off now, but I'll post a full update with pics tomorrow.

[reefernanoman]

Welcome to NR! When I was 10 I kept a 20g fw tank nice and smooth. I never even thought about SW during that time since it was much harder back then(1986).

[aquarium]

Welcome to NR! When I was 10 I kept a 20g fw tank nice and smooth. I never even thought about SW during that time since it was much harder back then(1986).

yes, I was skeptical at first as well. However, my first SW was a great sucess, so I decided to go for more.

 

The Phillips Luxeon LEDs I ordered should be arriving soon! next week my dad and I can start work on the fixture.

[reefernanoman]

What a great way to spend time with your dad. My daughter is always helping me clean my tanks, feed the fish, etc.

[aquarium]

What a great way to spend time with your dad. My daughter is always helping me clean my tanks, feed the fish, etc.

Yeah, He's excited too. I should probaby clean the 50 gallon freshwater this weekend as well.

[reefernanoman]

I also got a FW tank too. It's a 75G African peacock cichlid tank

[aquarium]

I also got a FW tank too. It's a 75G African peacock cichlid tank

ooh, nice. I just have a mixed FW tank, alot of tetras in there. sounds like you have very pretty tanks.

[reefernanoman]

ooh, nice. I just have a mixed FW tank, alot of tetras in there. sounds like you have very pretty tanks.

I got two SW nanos and the 75G fw one. Check out my signatures

[aquarium]

I got two SW nanos and the 75G fw one. Check out my signatures

Awesome! that goby and shrimp are soo much bigger than mine.

[aquarium]

Well, I've been so busy lately that I havent been able to post an update. The goby is very camera-shy and darts into his burrow when I get the camera out, so no pics just yet. I have not seen the shrimp, he has gone into the rockwork bu I can hear him snapping sometimes so I know he is in there. The goby and shrimp have not paired up yet.

Last night, my dad and I played around with the LEDs. They are so bright! interestingly, they don't seem to get very hot. We were testing one out screwed down to a small piece of aluminum sheet and after a half hour the hottest temp anywhere was 30 degrees celsuis. We are going to build the driver and the hood ourselves because my dad is an electrical engineer and he is really enjoying himself.

 

If I can get decent picture of the goby or shrimp I'll post it.

 

Thanks for reading

[aquarium]

Pics!! So I finally got some good picures of the goby! unfortunately, the shrimp still eludes the camera, but I will get a pic when I can.

 

Goby:

My Emerald Crab:

 

Thanks!

[aquarium]

Hello!
I found a new hitchiker on my live rock today and I need some help IDing it.

it looks like a small starfish, here's a pic:

is it reef safe? should I remove it?

 

While I was taking pictures I snapped a pic of my palys:

 

also, I still have not seen my pistol shrimp. is this normal?

 

Thanks for your replies!

[BigRed10]

Looks like an asterina star to me. And as for the pistol, give it time, it took a couple weeks before I saw my goby/pistol after I added them. Is your sandbed appear different each morning, with little piles of sand in random spots?

[aquarium]

Looks like an asterina star to me. And as for the pistol, give it time, it took a couple weeks before I saw my goby/pistol after I added them. Is your sandbed appear different each morning, with little piles of sand in random spots?

some shells seem to get moved around from day to day, but no sand piles.

 

So asterina stars? good or bad? I've heard both

[BigRed10]

I've heard both as well, but never had any but the harmless ones (I've got a few in my tank) so can't really tell you the difference, sorry

[aquarium]

I've heard both as well, but never had any but the harmless ones (I've got a few in my tank) so can't really tell you the difference, sorry

It must have come in on the palys I got from the LFS recently, so its probably fine.

[aquarium]

I saw the shrimp!!

When I got home from school I saw a sandpile in front of the gobies den. When I fed the tank I saw the shrimp poke his head out . There're sharing a burrow and everything. I still can't get any pics, but I'll try tomorrow.

[Odyssey350kc]

If your tank is on a normal tank stand chances are its open underneath meaning you can look at the bottom of the tank from underneath. Take a peek you should be able to see the shrimps tunnels and possibly the shrimp.

 

They'll get to know when food is in the tank. I had a long pair of tweesers with food at the end I would put in front of my pistol shrimps burrow and he would come out, grab the tweesers, rip the food off and go back in his hole.