CR's 10 gallon Journal

I've been on and off here over the years, and it's funny how life just keeps "moving" forward. I graduated from USF after doing 8 great years in the Coast Guard, moved back home to Louisiana after graduation, moved 60 miles down the road for work, bought a house (moved again), got married, sold my house (moved again!!)...

My wife and I have bought some land, but we don't plan to build (read move again) for another few years. So I finally have time to get a tank up and running. This will be my record of how it went. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do, and I hope this becomes one heck of a cool little tank.

Initial setup: 06/27/2016

Tank: Standard 10 gallon from Petco
Light: Coralife 24" dual T5 with ATI bulbs
Filter: Aquaclear 50 HOB
Heater: ViaAqua 50w
Flow: Koralia 425
Rock: 12 lbs Reef Saver Dry Rock from BRS
Substrate: ~7 lbs of Carib Sea Aragonite Sand
Location: Spare bedroom (only place the wife approved, for now lol)

 

Nice. Livestock plans? You should do all sps.

 

No definitive plans on livestock so far. Fish, probably just a pair of clowns. Might include a purple firefish, but not wanting a heavy bioload.

As for coral, I love me some LPS, but a nice stick garden would be cool too. I've always been a fan of acans, trumpets, and hammers... so it'll most certainly turn out to be a mixed reef knowing me.

 

aieee 10 gallons is a little tight for a sinlge clown, let alone two.... not trying to discourage you in anyway, there are several gobies you could get for a small system like that and they look rather neat...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/... 2124&r=3119&s=ts&start=1&page_num=1&count=24

that catelina gobie looks fantastic but probably not for the average Joe..... keep in mind that, in general, gobies are hard to keep fat and happy though there are some exceptions

 

Im on the fence with two clowns in a ten gallon. I kept two clowns in a ten gallon for 4 years or so, not a problem for me. I certainly wouldn't do any more then the two clowns though.

 

well I have to admit my percula dont move much in my 450L, the female occasioanlly wonders around but they will use no more than half the tank. I dont know I guess if they were the only two fish in there but still.....

 

I've kept a pair of clowns in a 20L that may have used half the tank, and I've kept a pair in a 40B that never seemed to get far from the trumpet they decided to host lol. As I said, I don't have any hard and fast plans. Of course this tank is going to be more about the coral than the fish simply due to the size, but I do want a couple of swimmers. I do agree that a 10 is pretty tight, but my LFS has tank raised Ocellaris that are hardly an inch long and it would take them a while before they hit their full size. At this point though I'm not 100% committed to anything. Heck, I might even put a single damsel in there and let it be the king of his own little reef.

 

Welcome bro, I'm from Louisiana as well and also prior military. I thank you for your service and looking forward to sharing your journey with you!


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Day 2, Issue # 1...

Temperature is swinging 4-5 degrees at night. During the day with the T5s on, the tank hits 78-79, but with the lights off the tank drops to 73-74. I'm tweaking the heater to adjust but I might end up getting a higher watt heater. If my wife didn't like to make the house a meat locker at night, that would help too.

Wonder if putting a glass lid on it will help stabilize temps by reducing evaporation?

 

hahahaha, I missed you were military, forward observer here..... in Switzerland though.... the single damsel will indeed become the king of the little reef as you say, might have to watch out for your own hand when you do maintenance