Enigma's 10 Gallon Reef

[Enigma]

This tank was started on March 17th, 2012.

I've had a couple of freshwater aquariums in the past, and they have always been epic failures due to severe algae blooms and crazy nitrogen.

This tank will eventually be stocked with a pair of clowns. My little guy (who is three) has been asking for a "Nemo." As the False Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) has a reputation for being a relatively easy fish, I'm going to humour him.

Present Equipment:

Tank:
10 Gallon Leader Tank
Glass Top

Filtration & Circulation:
Fluval C2 Power Filter
Koralia Nano 425gph

Lighting & Heat:
2 x Coralife 11 Inch Mini AquaLight T5 HO (6W 10000K & 6W Actinic in each)
Marineland Visi-Therm Deluxe Submersible 50 Watt Heater

Substrate & Rock:
5 lbs Dry Rock
15 lbs Aragonite Sand

Present Livestock:

Filtration:
8.75 lbs Live Rock

Clean Up Crew
2 small Mexican Turbo Snails
5 Nassarius (Vibex?) Snails

[Enigma]

I've added four more Nass snails, and three small Green Chromis. The Chromis aren't permanent residents in this tank. They're to test my fish keeping skills. The survivor/s (I'm fully aware they might kill each other) will be moved or passed on to someone else when I'm ready for the Clown pair this tank will get.

I've tried to take some decent photos with my DSLR (versus my BlackBerry).









The Chromis are very hard to get photos of. This is the only photo I was able to get that has all three in it. It is pretty crummy.



Two of the Chromis appear to have paired off. It is very curious. One will be facing one direction in the tank, and the other two will be a ways away from it facing the other direction. The two facing the same direction are usually very close to each other. It is the smallest that seems to be the odd fish out. I'm guessing this means that is the one most likely to be killed (if any of them are). I'm thinking that when my 12 gallon is cycled I might move that one into it.

[Enigma]

I don't have any more new and decent photos of this tank, but there have been some changes.

I purchased a Kenya Tree frag last week. It wasn't attached to anything, so when I brought it home I dabbed a bit of frag glue on it, stuck two toothpicks in it (couldn't get one all the way through) and used a rubber-band to attach it to some dead rock. Then I dipped it. I don't remember off the top of my head what kind of dip I used . . . but it was mixed with tank water (not a FW dip).



It seems quite happy. I'm thinking the toothpicks are not going to be possible to extract, so I think I can just cut them off and leave a bit inside the coral.

I did discover what I think is a pyramid snail in the tank. I had it with my forceps, and then I dropped it and couldn't find it. I had really hoped to have a small clam in here, but it looks like that isn't going to work.

I have wound up with two crab hitchhikers. One is a pom pom crab, and the other a blue-legged hermit crab. They are both in a "breeder tank" which is hanging off of this one. I do not want anything with an exoskeleton in this tank! If the pom pom lives (it does not look happy) I'll offer it up to the forum members here for free. It does have one anemone. I have read that their anemones are potent enough to kill fish and snails.

This tank is getting a custom refugium for live rock and chaeto that will sit behind the tank, which will be built by Red Coral here in Calgary. I'm very excited.

[Enigma]

I've made some major changes to this one, and after a trip to Red Coral yesterday, I feel as if I'm finally on track!

Crummy BlackBerry photos:



Two zoa and one blasto frag:



The chromis:



The sump:



All of the live rock has been moved to the regugium in the sump. A large piece of dry rock has been added to the display tank. The lighting fixture has been changed on the display tank (20" Coralife with one actinic and one 10,000K).

The only issue is that I can't fill the tank beyond where it is. The overflow needs quite a bit of wiggle room to prime itself. In the event I fill the tank higher it overflows when the overflow box kicks in again. At least the sump gives me another 15 gallons of water, so the effect of a little less water in the display tank is more visual than anything else.

All specs are good, with the exception of nitrate which is still about 0.5.

Hubby is going to build me a stand so I can rig the sump up underneath the tank.

[Aquaria]

Pom poms are scared of there own shadows lol u won't have to worry bout ur fish lol iv had one for a year maybe longer and I never see him except after feedings sometimes and at night

[Enigma]

I've read too many horror stories about Pom Poms going commando and becoming aggressive killers.

The Pom Pom is now in my sump: along with the hermit. It seems like a good place for hitchhikers.

[aqure591]

You started your tank on March 17th and have already added so much live stock... Just curious to know how your water parameters are and if your tank has been fully cycled yet or not ??

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by aqure591

You started your tank on March 17th and have already added so much live stock... Just curious to know how your water parameters are and if your tank has been fully cycled yet or not ??

(all tests but nitrate test are API tests . . . My nitrate has never been high enough in this tank to even register on the API test)

pH: 8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5 (ELOS test . . . Not totally colorless but not as pink as 1)
Phosphate: 0
dkh: 11
Calcium: 460
Magnesium: didn't test this morning
Temp: 77
SG: 1.025

I started with fully cured live rock rubble. I did go through a very minor cycle, which made me very nervous after I added some livestock. None of the levels of anything became high enough to be stressful for the livestock, and I did a 10% water change a day for a week during the mini cycle. I did have a very minor diatom bloom when the cycle completed.

Considering the very bad advice I recieved when I started this (found the forums after this was all on the go) things have gone much better than they should have. I've been very fortunate. I think I've been able to remedy most of the issues.

I test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every day.

I do have a second tank that I'm working on. I'm taking everything I've learned so far and am doing that one "the right way." I'm doing a fishless cycle with no live rock with that one. It is close to being cycled.

[aqure591]

That's great to hear!. One thing that I did to cycle my tank when I started was to use raw shrimp/cocktail shrimp method. Through my research I found this way more humane then dumping chromis or other hardy fish into the tank to help cycle the tank.

Originally Posted by Enigma

(all tests but nitrate test are API tests . . . My nitrate has never been high enough in this tank to even register on the API test)

pH: 8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5 (ELOS test . . . Not totally colorless but not as pink as 1)
Phosphate: 0
dkh: 11
Calcium: 460
Magnesium: didn't test this morning
Temp: 77
SG: 1.025

I started with fully cured live rock rubble. I did go through a very minor cycle, which made me very nervous after I added some livestock. None of the levels of anything became high enough to be stressful for the livestock, and I did a 10% water change a day for a week during the mini cycle. I did have a very minor diatom bloom when the cycle completed.

Considering the very bad advice I recieved when I started this (found the forums after this was all on the go) things have gone much better than they should have. I've been very fortunate. I think I've been able to remedy most of the issues.

I test ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every day.

I do have a second tank that I'm working on. I'm taking everything I've learned so far and am doing that one "the right way." I'm doing a fishless cycle with no live rock with that one. It is close to being cycled.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by aqure591

That's great to hear!. One thing that I did to cycle my tank when I started was to use raw shrimp/cocktail shrimp method. Through my research I found this way more humane then dumping chromis or other hardy fish into the tank to help cycle the tank.

I'm now using frozen brine shrimp in my other one. It is processing a cube a day.

I was furious when I learned how mislead I had been at the LFS. I worked very diligently to gain control of the situation. I just checked my notes. The highest ammonia became was 0.25, and nitrites never got above 0.25. Nitrates topped out at 2. We all got through it okay.

My plans now are to add a couple of cerith snails, and then add a little frag every two weeks. No more fish will be added until the chromis reduce their numbers.