10G Nano

[Frogspawn]

Hey guys, its been awhile.. How ya been?

i just wanted to post my new tank. its off to a great start.

Equipment
150HQI SunPac 14000K- on controller 8 hours a day
50W Titanium Heater - on controller
Eco-Tech-Vortech MP10
Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Elite 2 controller

Inverts
5 RedLeg Hermits
6 Snails

Fish
1-Clown Fish

Corals
Green Slimer (sps)
Blue , Goniopora Coral
Duncan Head sorta blue/green
Green FrogSpawn
Green stripe shrooms
Green/Red Acro


Algae
Chaetomorpha Algae- floating in a bag in main display

Maintenance
2-4 Gallon Water changes Every week with Instance Ocean Salt
1/2 of Active carbon every month for a week.

Feeding
I feed Rons food- i love this stuff! i may over feed but with my huge water changes its ok.

 

[HN1]

Nice work! Great looking tank. It'll look amazing when it grows in.

 

[Frogspawn]

Thanks

I have no filter on this tank, its all done by water changes. i was thinking about putting a small HOB filter on but i feel they can be nitrate factories.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Nice. Love the Green Slimer.

 

[Zer0]

This is a beautiful tank. I really do love it. I always thought the 10G's made for great nano's.. Excellent work and i agree that it will look awesome once more coral is added, and things grow in. Keep us updated! You know we are picture fiends..

 

[Frogspawn]

thanks, you think i need more coral? what do you suggest? i been looking at my LFS and they have so many i dont know what to buy...i was thinking about some encrusting coral and maybe some more polyps.

BTW.. as you can see on the base of the green slimer its been growing... how will this coral split? is it time to remove the coral from the base its on and move it to a piece of live rock?

 

[Mitchell0605]

I'd let everything grow for a few months, you might not have room by then.

 

[Zer0]

Well, i think you could definitely add things like Zoa, Ricordea, and other assorted mushroom frags. I've seen tons of tanks crammed with these frags and they all grew in very nicely. There are other things you can add as well, but due to the size of the tank, you may be limited to the coral that grow huge over time.

 

[Frogspawn]

Well, i am thinking of adding a plating coral on the right side of the tank. will be my last one for a while.

I started this 10g only because i messed up my 30g cube. i went to drill the back to install a over flow and 2 return lines and cracked the back. Now i am looking for some one local that can replace the rear pane of glass.

 

[Zer0]

Well now that only makes me more nervous about drilling my cube lol. But i'll only be drilling an overflow, not the return. Did your tank crack on the first drill? Or the second or third?

 

[Frogspawn]

Hmm.. its been awhile since i did it. I bought a diamond hole saw and tried it will a 18 volt cordless drill using my water hose to keep constant water on the area i was cutting. my first cut went ok, my second or third one is the one that cracked the glass. IMO use a drill press to insure you have a nice straight cut. Dont go fast or apply any pressure. let the weight of the drill do the work. Make sure you lay something in the bottom of the tank to chetch the glass as it falls, dont want all that work to go to waste for something as silly as that. It can be done. Practice on a 10 or 20 gallon you can buy form Pets mart or walmart first. those diamond blades are good for at-least 5-10 cuts.

 

[Zer0]

True. If i had access to a drill press i would definitely use it, but no luck there lol. Plus, i bought the hole saw to drill already, so i guess i'll just have to take my chances.

 

[HN1]

The best advice I've ever gotten in regards to drilling a tank is to clamp blocks (1/2" or so) of wood to each side of the glass so that the hole saw cuts first through the wood. That keeps any warping, which is what cracks or shatters the glass, to a minimum.

 

[melosu58]

Looks pretty nice. Great start.

 

[Frogspawn]

Thanks,

I am thinking of adding a small HOB filter to this nano. either that or i need to cut my feeding to every Wed Friday and Sunday when i do my 50% water changes on sunday evening. I am also pondering on adding some more hermits and snails. I have noticed some baby snails on the walls at night i only bring this up because i am seeing more debris or waste laying on the LR and/ or floating around my tank. either one of the above options would most like help eradicate some of this unwanted waste that could potentially degrade my water quality if i need to wait 2 weeks to do a water change.

I do have a few Questions that some of you more experience reefers would know better.

1) I travel for work and some times i can be gone for up to 2 weeks. I if wanted to have my house sitter care for my tank what would be some good points to bring up when instructing him or her to care for the tank.

 

[Zer0]

For one thing... Don't use and keep ALL chemicals away from the tank. I've heard one too many stories about relatives or freinds clean the tank glass with windex... And the whole system crashes because of it.

 

[Flake]

If you're gone long enough to need a topoff or waterchange, give them well labeled water. I too have heard horror stories, but these about well meaning neighbors who thing adding freshwater as a topoff is wrong and add table salt.

 

[Mitchell0605]

Good ol' table salt with all of it's fabulous trace elements!

Tell them what to do if it's a hot day. Your tank can crash easy if the temp gets high. Which is easy in your tank.

 

[Frogspawn]

LOL, thanks.. sorry about late reply. been very busy with my new classes.

i do have milk jugs very well marked and my dad does my tank when i am gone or my GF. i have just been getting them to feed pellets and do top-offs with reg RODI water. i have not let them do any water changes in fear of messing somthing up. i guess thats my reasoning behind i make them feed pellets every other day and even then its small amount. i am hoping by me instructing them to do so will help my water quility last a bit longer so when i get hom i do a 75% water change and be right back on track with my weekly 50% water changes.

 

[Frogspawn]

Update picture...