Travis442's 10G Nano Reef

[Travis442]

Hey everyone,

 

Yesterday I had the day off and decided to get the tank put together. Its a 10 gallon standard rimmed tank, Aqua Clear 70 HOB, 50W preset heater (still waiting on heater controller to come in), Hipargero A029 LED light, Carib sea Bahamas Oolite live sand, and Carib sea Life rock. I also made a Lexan lid for the tank to help cut down on evaporation. As of 3pm EST December 10th the tank is wet and beginning to cycle. My plans for the tank are to have a pair of clowns a CUC and some fairly basic corals to begin with. I would also like to get a BTA. This project came from being tired of seeing an empty tank sitting around the house. I had seen some really great examples of "Budget" nano tanks on YouTube and after several months of research, I couldn't wait any longer. I will be cycling the tank for 4-6 weeks minimum. With this being my first ever dive into the saltwater realm of fish keeping I welcome any and all advice that you all may be able to provide. Here is the tank last night about 3 hours after getting wet. I will post a few more pictures of the set up later on today as the sand should be settled enough to get a better look at the rock work and overall sand bed.

[Travis442]

I do have one question if anyone can provide some insight. Currently in the AC I just have the sponge that came with it, during the cycle should I add anything else or leave it like I have it? Im not trying to cut any corners with this tank. I also will be ordering the Intank media basket for the AC just havent gotten around to it yet.

[ReefTaco]

14 minutes ago, Travis442 said:

I do have one question if anyone can provide some insight. Currently in the AC I just have the sponge that came with it, during the cycle should I add anything else or leave it like I have it? Im not trying to cut any corners with this tank. I also will be ordering the Intank media basket for the AC just havent gotten around to it yet.

I've heard mixed reviews about the intank basket for the HOB aqua clear. The AC was designed to push water from the bottom to the top of it's current media basket. Most people make a mini refugium out of them. I would honestly get rid of the sponge as they become nitrate factories. You can replace it with a bag of GFO or chemipure or some other media. A good upgrade is a over flow box for the intake of the AC. It'll help with reducing surface skim. I would be happy to answer an questions.

 

Happy reefing 😊

[Travis442]

2 hours ago, Instant_taco said:

I've heard mixed reviews about the intank basket for the HOB aqua clear. The AC was designed to push water from the bottom to the top of it's current media basket. Most people make a mini refugium out of them. I would honestly get rid of the sponge as they become nitrate factories. You can replace it with a bag of GFO or chemipure or some other media. A good upgrade is a over flow box for the intake of the AC. It'll help with reducing surface skim. I would be happy to answer an questions.

 

Happy reefing 😊

I have been looking at the overflow box as well, I may pick one up here soon. As for the intank basket, if you can remember, what were some of the negatives that you heard about them. I havent looked too hard into it yet, but what I have read and by looking at the design of it it appears that it would enhance the filtration by forcing the water through the different chambers instead of hitting the open box area where it may or may not circulate through the media effectively. I am not in any way opposed to avoiding the intank basket either (just means less money spent). I have seen the refugium modification and was intrigued by it, but my impression was that the same effect could be achieved by utilizing a couple different types of media and would not require a dedicated light for algae growth within the refugium.  Overall my goal is to keep the tank stable as simply as possible. As for the media, would any of it interfere with the cycling of the tank? The GFO to my understanding is used to remove phosphates which shouldnt hurt the cycle, but isnt the chemipure for removing nitrates? Thanks for the feedback! Every little bit helps!

[Travis442]

Here are better pictures now that the water has cleared up quite a bit.

[Jakesaw]

Nice rock scape, but you're going to have challenges cleaning the glass with rock that close to glass.  You following ?inappropriate reefer" '10 gallon setup?  That was my base plan too.  Will be interested to watch your tank.  I Gave up on the AC 70 b/c it was too loud and flowed a ton of water noise.  Ended with a standard powerhead and whisper 20 for filtration. 

 

Make sure you do weekly monitoring of Nitrate, Phos, and alk.   If you let nutrients stay at zero too long, you'll get DINO.  Your corals need nutrient in the water to grow / thrive too.   I had 7 months of not testing til I got DINO and let it get out of control before I took an active hand correcting it.  

 

 

 

[Travis442]

1 hour ago, Jakesaw said:

Nice rock scape, but you're going to have challenges cleaning the glass with rock that close to glass.  You following ?inappropriate reefer" '10 gallon setup?  That was my base plan too.  Will be interested to watch your tank.  I Gave up on the AC 70 b/c it was too loud and flowed a ton of water noise.  Ended with a standard powerhead and whisper 20 for filtration. 

 

Make sure you do weekly monitoring of Nitrate, Phos, and alk.   If you let nutrients stay at zero too long, you'll get DINO.  Your corals need nutrient in the water to grow / thrive too.   I had 7 months of not testing til I got DINO and let it get out of control before I took an active hand correcting it.  

 

 

 

I was just looking at the rock thinking about the glass. I may try and rotate the larger section to see if that makes any difference. I am using his design as a base and altering where I see fit as I go! I especially liked the price of the aqua knight over all the other lights I was considering. So far I have found that the AC is loud with the cover on but when it’s off it’s more quiet than the air stones that I have going in my freshwater tank 3 feet away from it. As for the water flow noise if I keep the water level elevated then it’s not too bad. I think if I didn’t have the air stones in my other tank making bubbling sounds all hours of the day then I’d be more irritated with it. I will be taking a look at the cover to see if I can quiet it down though as I don’t want to run it without the cover. Maybe some electrical tape will help. 
 

I’ll be sure to stay on top of it thanks for the advice! What all did you have to do to to correct it?

[Jakesaw]

I used a HOB filter I had laying around that was quiet.  Less flow, but I put in an old Koralia to move the water.   AC 70 works for alot of people.  Just wasn't for me.  

[ReefTaco]

On 12/11/2021 at 1:52 PM, Travis442 said:

I have been looking at the overflow box as well, I may pick one up here soon. As for the intank basket, if you can remember, what were some of the negatives that you heard about them. I havent looked too hard into it yet, but what I have read and by looking at the design of it it appears that it would enhance the filtration by forcing the water through the different chambers instead of hitting the open box area where it may or may not circulate through the media effectively. I am not in any way opposed to avoiding the intank basket either (just means less money spent). I have seen the refugium modification and was intrigued by it, but my impression was that the same effect could be achieved by utilizing a couple different types of media and would not require a dedicated light for algae growth within the refugium.  Overall my goal is to keep the tank stable as simply as possible. As for the media, would any of it interfere with the cycling of the tank? The GFO to my understanding is used to remove phosphates which shouldnt hurt the cycle, but isnt the chemipure for removing nitrates? Thanks for the feedback! Every little bit helps!

The flow for the aquaclear goes from the bottom up so the intank basket makes it come from the side. But people have problem with water overflowing from the intake tube side. Cause the floss media get clogged quickly.  At least thats what I read. Also you don't wanna put any chemical media till your tank has fully cycled and your rocks get cured.

[Travis442]

9 hours ago, Instant_taco said:

The flow for the aquaclear goes from the bottom up so the intank basket make to come from the side. But people have problem with water overflowing from the intake tube side. Cause the floss media get clogged quickly.  At least thats what I read. Also you don't wanna put any chemical media till your tank has fully cycled and your rocks get cured.

Ahhh that makes some sense. Ok cool will be sure to hold off on the chemical media.

[Travis442]

What values should I be seeing my ammonia, nitrites and nitrates at during the cycle? I understand that the ammonia will spike, but how high should I expect it to go before it starts to decline?

[ReefTaco]

That's gonna depend on what your dosing for ammonia. All you really need to look for is 0 ammonia and nitrites and then positive  reading nitrate. Then you know your tank is cycled. Just take it slow.

 

What bacteria starter are you using? Or are you using live rock to seed the tank ?

[Travis442]

Well I started the tank with live sand and the caribsea life rock that’s supposed to have dormant bacteria with it but I did not want to rely on that so I have been using sechem stability Per the directions on the bottle. I’m definitely not in any rush. I planned to allow 6 weeks for the tank to completely cycle and based on parameters adding a cuc around week 4

[ReefTaco]

53 minutes ago, Travis442 said:

Well I started the tank with live sand and the caribsea life rock that’s supposed to have dormant bacteria with it but I did not want to rely on that so I have been using sechem stability Per the directions on the bottle. I’m definitely not in any rush. I planned to allow 6 weeks for the tank to completely cycle and based on parameters adding a cuc around week 4

Well then your on the right track. Now's a good time to research all the cool inhabitants you can have😁

[Travis442]

Quick update,

We’re on week 3 of the cycle. It’s incredibly difficult to try and remain patient and refrain from going to grab the livestock but I am resisting the urge. Yesterday morning noticed what looked to be diatoms on the sand bed and then today it’s spread some more. As soon as I saw them I had a sense of relief because I know that were almost done cycling and will soon be adding a clean up crew and then moving on to other livestock. I Have been testing fairly regularly every two to three days, and have started ghost feeding the tank a very small amount every other day. 
I have been looking into my clean up crew and am thinking of having 2 trochus snails, 2 astria snails, an emerald crab, and a cleaner shrimp. I have seen others mention a much larger CUC for similar size tanks but I think starting slower is probably the better approach for me especially at the beginning when things are getting added so I can work up to having an adequate food source for them. I wanted to keep a star in the tank but have seen mixed reviews on people keeping them and several saying to stay away from them in anything less than a 55 gallon. So for now there will be no stars in the tank.

If anyone has any recommendations, thoughts or opinions on what I should add, when I should add or what to stay away from please feel free to let me know! 

[Travis442]

Happy new year everyone! Week 4 of the cycle is almost over. I'm getting more and more antsy as time goes on. Just did a test on the water parameters and am sitting at PH of 8.0, Ammonia, 0, .5ppm of nitrites and 20 ppm of nitrates per the API test kit. Salinity is sitting between 1.023 and 1.024. I have read that a lot of folks really don't like the API tests. What brand tests do you guys use for your tanks? We are going to be going away for the weekend and when we get back I will be doing another test to see if I still need to wait a little longer before adding inverts or if the tank will be ready for its first inhabitants. 

[Travis442]

As of today the tank appears to have completed the cycle. Nitrates were sitting at 20 ppm, Nitrites and Ammonia both showed 0. Phosphate was also showing 0. I went ahead and tested the Alk and calcium while i was at it. Alk was sitting at 11 and Calcium was at 440 ppm. On Monday, I checked my salinity and it was sitting around 1.020. I checked this against the store bought salt water that I had bought to see how off either my tank was or the hydrometer was. The store bought water was sitting between 1.024 and 1.025. I added maybe a half a gallon to the tank and the salinity of the tank as of today was at 1.025.

 

I feel confident at this time that I am ready to start stocking the tank. Originally my plan was going to be to add the CUC first then fish then corals. However, I am now second guessing that stocking order. I have seen many posts on forums and many videos in which folks did it the same way and different and explained why they went in the order that they did. My question to everyone on this site and those that are following is what order did you stock your tanks and why? For fish I just want a pair of clowns for now. Inverts, Im thinking of 1 emerald crab, 2 Trochus snails, 2 Nerite snails, and 2 Nasirus snails. My fiance is also pretty adamant about wanting a cleaner shrimp. For Corals, I would like to stock Zoas, candy canes, some variation of star polyps, and either a Favia/Favite or a hammer. All of this stocking will not take place at the same time or even in the same month. I want to add at most 3 of anything at one time and then wait a bit before adding anything else. I want to maintain the stability at all costs even if it means me agonizing over wanting to stock more than what I will.
 

 

[Jakesaw]

I went fish first, and got crabs b/c I didn't like or want snails in my tank.  Things got out of control slowly and then all at once with DINOs b/c I wasn't measuring my zero nitrates / Phosphates. 

 

I've since added 4 snails to start to beat back GHA and a nasty fluffy algae stuff on my live rock.  DINO is not in sight though.  I'm starting to grow GHA on my rock as we speak.  Hoping it doesn't get crazy before snails can beat it back. 

 

20 / 20 hindsight, I'd still start with 1 fish but add snails as soon as I started to see any algae or film they could eat and increase as needed.  

 

My corals are happy, but my LR is UGLY.  I'm 1 yr into the hobby wih 10 gal nano

 

 

[Travis442]

Its been a crazy past month and a half since my last update due to work, school, and the kids afterschool activities. In that time we have added some livestock to the tank. We currently have 3 astria snails, 2 nassarius snails, 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 clowns an ocellaris and a maroon (The employees from the store I bought them said that whenever they tried to separate them into different tanks one of them would always try to jump out of the tank and that they never tried when together). We also got a diamond watchman goby.  I just got a hanna checker for phosphate ulr because I have been using the API tests (becasue they were readily available at the store) and the phosphate was consistantly reading 0. When I tested the phosphate using my shiny new toy, it read 0.03 ppm. I will be slowly upgrading my testing kit to get more accurate and reliable results. But I do feel confident that at this time Im about ready to begin adding corals. 

[DevilDuck]

Looking great! You’ll probably need to put your frags on the rick work with a sand shifting goby. Mine keeps the sand clean but will bury or knock over frags on the sand.

[Travis442]

Thanks, I was seeing some diatoms but since adding him the sand has been nice and clean. Although he has casued the tank to be cloudy several times. I have been thinking about the coral placement with the goby being in the tank and have come to the same conclusion. Are you adding pods to your tank for your goby to feed on or is yours doing well with just normal feedings?

 

[Jakesaw]

That sand sifting goby is going to starve to death in your 10 gallon tank unless you figure out how to supplement feed him via sand.  He'll have that sand spotless in no time and run out of food. 

 

IMHO - you may want to search online for ways to train fish to eat food you bury in the sand.  and start planning for larger tank.  

 

They grow to 6" in size as adults. I wouldn't put that fish in 10 gallon as cool as a fish they are. 

[Travis442]

I have been putting frozen chunks of brine and mysis shrimp cubes in the sand for him to eat. I may try to upgrade to a 40 gallon tank in the future. So far he has been eating well with putting food in the sand and also eating the flakes and pellets that the clowns get as well. But you make a good point that I didnot really consider at the time that I got him with how big they get when they mature. As he grows I will likely have to re home him if I dont have a larger tank set up by that time. As for the 10 gallon those three will be the ONLY fish in the tank here on out. I will probably expand the clean up crew a little more with a couple more snails.

[Firefish15]

Hey, good to see another budget tank around! 
If you’re interested, I ran a tank very similar to this one for a few years, recently upgraded to a 14g bowfront. You could check out that journal for some insight into what did or did not work.

[Travis442]

I will definitely take a look! Any insight is good insight! Thanks