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10G Nano garden


danano

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PICTURE UPDATED ON 24 APRIL 2003 :blush:

 

nano-reef.com... Great website and community. Just joined nano-reef. Will be setting up my own site soon. Here's my 10G nano (since AUG '02) with all sorts of life... LPS, SPS, soft corals, polyps, shrooms, zoos, inverts, fish, clams, etc. Picture resolution could be better... used a built-in digital camera on my cell phone. Will update the pics once I get a "real" camera.

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Awesome. Very well done. Have you always had four fish in there? How have you found that to be in terms of stability? Post your specs when you can.

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Thanks :-) Started out with 2 fish and a cleaner shrimp. Added 2 fish after 4 months. Started adding LPS and tridacna clam after 5 mos and SPS after 6mos. No problem with stability. The torch and hammer are not only branching but also "sprouting" little ones on the side - to my utter delight! Pink tip SPS are healthy - white polyps fully extend at night. Green tip SPS turned brown and bleached a little in first 2 weeks but has now stopped bleaching and regained the green tips and growing ever so slightly. Specs are as follows:

 

• Ph……………...…8.0 low 8.3 high

• Nitrite…………...undetectable

• Ammonia……….undetectable

• Nitrate……….....undetectable

• Salinity…….......1.024

• Calcium………...400ppm (Salifert)

• Temperature….79.7 low 82.4 high

• Alkalinity…..…..9DKH

 

- Ice Probe chiller & Piccolo protein skimmer in custom 'mini hang-on sump'

- Rowaphos and Seachem SeaGel in 'mini power filter' (sits in 'sump') to minimize phosphates and undesirable elements

- Millenium 2000 (custom filter media w/out carbon)

- Mini power head to increase turbulance; flow from Millenium and hang-on 'sump' adds to water movement

- Lighting 1X55W 10K PC, 1x55W 17K PC (= 11W per Gallon) w/ 12 hour photoperiod

 

Daily supplements:

- Sea Elements (Julian Sprung's Reef Formula)

- Coralife Strontium Plus, Calcium and Iodine

- Kent Marine Coral Accel

 

Food:

- Marine Snow (microscopic plankton diet), 2x/day

- Frozen phytoplankton and brine 2x/week

- Marine fish food/pellets, 1x/day

 

10% water change every two weeks using Tropic Marin salt. RO/DI water top-up 0.2 gal daily.

 

I'll provide more info when I setup my nano-reef site... in the meantime, I'd be happy to chat on the forum.

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The reef base/structure is predominantly porite coral with loads of christmas three worms. Here's an orange dendro sandwiched by porites.

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Yes, dendro... the Carnation Tree Coral or Dendronephthya Carnation is one of the most beautiful and peaceful corals, and is also known as the Cauliflower Soft Coral, or Strawberry Soft Coral. I've got them in orange, pink and a pink-orange combo. Addition of iodin and other trace elements plus invert food is critical. It's actually propogating in the tank with new ones starting with just one polyp! They grow reasonably fast and I might need to setup a "grow-out" tank, perhaps a 20G in a few months.

 

Have never had a problem with algae but I do keep a close/daily watch for any unusual growth. I keep algae and bio-load under control with phosphate and silicate removers such as RowaPhos and Seachem SeaGel and of course, the skimmer. I have an assortment of reef janitors (10 snails, 3+ crabs, cleaner shrimp, sea urchin, misc. inverts). A small patch of macro-algae hidden from view near the base of the pink dendro also helps strip away the unwanted nutrients. The acrylic surface is cleaned once a week.

 

I would have limited the number of fish to 2 or 3 on hindsight, especially with my foray into acropora-land. However, tank conditions are quite stable and fish are happy and corals thriving/growing/propogating. The challenge is establishing and maintaining what I call a "bio-balance".

 

Pic... pipe organ, fox coral, cleaner shrimp on porite

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Nice. That tank is almost psychadelic hehe. Is that picture taken under normal lighting? The light almost looks yellowish-orange. Like something coming out of a halogen table lamp or something.

 

In any case, I like the look of a fully stocked tank hehe.

 

John

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Lighting: 1x55W 10K and 1x55W 17k (actinic) That's 11watts/gal. Acropora love it!

 

The picture may seem somewhat yellowish/orange 'coz of the orange Dendronephthya, sun coral, yellow gorgonian, yellow Turbinara and light-brownish porite coral (w/ loads of multi-colored X'mas tree worms). The reef structure consists of 1/3 LR and 2/3 porite coral.

 

Here's some blue :-)

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nice, how long set up?

 

the porities, the Christmas Tree worms that are in it will die if the porities is dead.

 

THe dendros, have you seen any shrinking to them and how long they been in it?

 

as to what I can see, the tank has decent husbandry with exception to the mentioned above. While I personaly don't add the full fish load untill the corals are placed for the most part, I too sneek on occasion and add fish sooner than all the corals are placed.

 

Do you have then secured? or are the corals simply placed there?

 

just curious.... can you get a pic with everything closed up?

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Dave, thanks for the feedback.

 

The tank has been setup 8 mos. Porites and Christmas Tree worms and have been around for 3+ months. Porites have been growing new layers (i.e. reef building/calcifying) and new X'mas trees have 'sprung' out of new tiny holes on the porite. All r alive and healthy. Porite polyps are extended most of the day and night except when 'calcifying'.

 

Dendros - for about 2 months and have doubled in size with new arms and polyps. No shrinkage except when they 'go to sleep'. They fully extend/expand several times a day (& night). It takes a few days for a new Dendro to settle in and about 2 weeks to reach full potential in a stable tank. A fast grower!

 

I know and admit... my fish load is higher than that typically recommended. The number is now 4 fish, a tomato clown, false percula clown, yellow wrasse and blue/yellow damsel. The 3 month old Dispar Pseudanthias had been losing weight despite being an active feeder and finally succumbed today. It expends large amounts of calories as it swims continuously throughout the day against the current flow. I feed the fish once a day, which keeps the others happy, colourful amd 'plump' but unfortunately, not the anthias (which requires constant feeding, 2-3 times/day). Learning point: Anthias should not be kept in a nano ???

 

The LR and porites fit like jigsaw, well almost :) The acros and turbinara near the top are secure in gaps/spaces between the LR and porites. I super-glued the green-tip acro onto a small piece of LR for stability. If necessary, the SPS and LPS can be moved. No problems with snails and crabs bumping things over.

 

Will give it a shot and get close-ups with my cell phone cam... no optical zoom and res not great. Can't wait to pick-up a 'real' digital camera.

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Pink tip acropora, yellow turbinara and torch in background (plus my 4 fish, notice the false percula partially hidden by the torch)

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watch taht clown doesn't become volent in that torch. They tear easily, and can be subject to bacterial infections if said events occur. ;)

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Thanks nanoman. Spacing-out of corals is key - gives the tank a more open look and feel. Besides, I'm allowing some room for the SPS to grow. I have 2, a pink tip and a green tip acro. I probably won't be adding anything major unless I stumble upon the rare "bonsai" acropora or some other 'miniature' coral or frag. The torch and hammer have also been given ample room to grow - can't put anything near them, expecially with their sweeper tentacles. The yellow cup coral grows fast too.

 

I might add another clam in the future.

 

Dave, thanks for the words of wisdom :) So far so good. My concern is that the torch will double in size/diameter in 6 months. Hmmm... justification to setup a 20G :D

 

Dan

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Green-tip acro: 2 months (to my delight, branches have grown slightly and tips all over are showing some green coloration as well) :)

 

Pink-tip: 1 month (continues to encrust the base - it was already quite encrusted when I got it) :D

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