Starting a 10 gallon - Ideas

I'll start out with I know this will be a tough task cause the smaller the harder aquarium, but I'm just getting stuff and ideas together.

So I got a 10 gallon tank for free from the Petstore for spending $50 on corals and it is just sitting around. The dude said I could make a breeder tank out of it, but that is boring. I was thinking of making a small reef with like a fish. I've seen several smaller aquariums in stores with a hang on back filter that look pretty good. I was thinking of doing the same.

I was also thinking about drilling or getting holes drilled in the 10 gal. and putting a 5 gal. refugium underneath it.

These are all ideas, let me know what you think. I have been keeping my eye on a 30 gallon with stand for $40 on Craigslist.

 

you could make it into a quarantine tank, that would be a pretty good investment....not as fun I know, but it will probably be worth it in the long run

 

if you don't have a refugium, you could make the 10 a refugium for your main tank. If you want to do the mini reef tank, i've seen them as small as 3 gallon. You already seem to know that you have to be more careful with the smaller tank. I think a small reef would be cool

 

I'd buy the 30g off of CR and use at as the fuge for that.

 

I second that. You could make the 10 a sump/fuge combo, or just a fuge. It wouldn't limit you so much, and in the end, I think a 30 would look great. I have a 38 and a 20, so I really like that size tank.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

I was thinking of making the 10 gal an aquarium to keep the cost down a little, after adding LS, LR, etc...

 

Could I use a hang on back filter? It would be a lot easier than making the refugium, but I kind of rather put a refugium underneath it.

 

Instead of a HOB filter, for a ten gallon, get a TAAM Rio Nano Protein Skimmer and call it a day. You can run carbon in it if you need to, it comes with a carbon filter.

Gin

 

I like the quarintine Idea or the sump/fuge one as well. If you absolutly want to make a nano reef I can help you out. I Have been running the rio nano for 10 months and it just does not do the job for me. If you are going to make a nano reef you can make a fuge like me with an ac 70. Just do wc's every 7 to 10 days and you will be fine. And since it's only a 10 gallon you only have to do like 2 gallon changes. Here is a link to the fuge. Now as far as keeping down your costs. Wel....... :

Ac 70 fuge mod

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=601201

And a light

16.5" 70w Sunpod - Nano-Reef.com Forums

 

if i where to do my system over again i would run T5's, less heat and you really cant go wrong with them in a 10 gallon. gives you the same variety of things you can keep with a bit less of an exspense.