# 10 gallon reef tank build!



## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Hey guys I've been setting/running up a 10 gallon reef tank since April.

Its 10g tank with 8lbs of figi LR, 10lbs(roughtly) of LS, Rena XP1 filter, 50 watt stealth heater, 24" HOB refugium(cheatto, LS,LR), and 2 koralia nano pump's.

Live stock:

Fish:
2 True perc clowns

CUC:
3 holloween hermits
3 blue legg hermits
1 scarlet hermit
7 nassarius snails
7 cerith snails
7 astrea snails
3 turbo margareta snails
1 unknown snail(might be a little bear conch)
1 cleanner shrimp
1 green emerald crab

Corals(so far):

Assorted zoa's
frog spawn
Favia

Pics as of yesturday:


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Videos:


















Enjoy!

What do you guys think?


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

I hate to say this that that is WAY too many crabs and snails for a 10gal tank. 

When was your tank set up and what is the lighting for the corals?


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

I'd have to dissagree with you there. I was battling algae problems, an dhave been adding the cuc slowly ever since it was running to take care of the problem. Now there is an equal amout of cleanning and growing going on and everything is happy. I'm on many other forums and got told that my CUC is good. My water parameters have always been at zero and in the good ranges since the tank cycled. Nothing has died yet except for a green cromis(tester fish) which went missing without an ammonia spike(so cant really say it died, unless my cuc got to it before it could foul my water). I could never find it again!


I'm running 2x40 watt pc lights w/ lunar's.

"The Current USA Dual Satellite Power Compact fixture is a dual strip light which contains 1 Dual Daylight Lamp (6700K & 10,000K), 1 Dual Actinic (420nm/460nm) and 1 Lunar Light. The Lunar Light is a small LED which sits in the fixture above the bulbs. The compact fluorescent bulbs included with this fixture have 3 times the output of standard bulbs with double the life (12 months). This fixture also features a cooling fan and 2 switches, and mounting legs"

The corals that need more light are higher possitioned in the tank. I'm not going to get any acros or anything like that, that needs higher amounts of light. 

I think my next corals will be shrooms, rics, and maybe a toarch or xenia(not sure yet).


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

KnaveTO said:


> I hate to say this that that is WAY too many crabs and snails for a 10gal tank.
> 
> When was your tank set up and what is the lighting for the corals?


I'd have to agree with you there.... way to overstocked. Your nassarius are going to become very week due to lack of food and then get picked off by all those crabs. The same will go for all those other snails as well.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

UnderTheSea said:


> I'd have to agree with you there.... way to overstocked. Your nassarius are going to become very week due to lack of food and then get picked off by all those crabs. The same will go for all those other snails as well.


How so? I still have algae for them grazing on. I've had the cuc in for about 2 months now, and they are still all accounted for. Plus nassarius snails dont even eat algae, they like meaty foods. Thats why they come out when its feeding time! Plus my hermits all have molted 3 times since getting them, and my cleanner seems to molt every other week! I doubt there is any lack of food and suppliments for them in my system. All tanks are different and need different things. Maybe the CUC would be a lot for your tank but for mine its just the right amount to stop a overgrowth of algae. Thanks for your concerns, but so far everything is happy and healthy!

But other than my cuc what do you guys think?


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

This forum is deaddd.... Where is everyone?


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

This isn't a primary SW forum. There are others out there that we use.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Yeah I'm on SWF.COM but its American. I was looking for something that was Canadian.


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## tsam (Feb 13, 2009)

for marine/canadian forum, try http://www.aquariumpros.ca


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

tsam said:


> for marine/canadian forum, try http://www.aquariumpros.ca


Yeah I've seen that one also. But it looks so cluttered and confusing to me haha. I know theres nothing to be confused about, but I dont know something about it I dont like haha. Maybe I'll give it a try!


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

or without the attitude www.aquariumfans.ca


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## Announce (Aug 27, 2008)

Katsafados said:


> Yeah I'm on SWF.COM but its American. I was looking for something that was Canadian.


www.aquariumpros.ca

as for the hermits, I'm going to have to agree with the others but its an honest mistake that I too made. And so you know for next time, Hermits are horrible, their main objective truly is to survive and grow but what this means is they kill anything. I have had hermits kill: Snails, sleeping fish, and even eachother. They are not primary algae eaters which is why many people believe snails are much more benificial.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Announce said:


> www.aquariumpros.ca
> 
> as for the hermits, I'm going to have to agree with the others but its an honest mistake that I too made. And so you know for next time, Hermits are horrible, their main objective truly is to survive and grow but what this means is they kill anything. I have had hermits kill: Snails, sleeping fish, and even eachother. They are not primary algae eaters which is why many people believe snails are much more benificial.


Did you have extra shells? The main reaso nthey attack snails and other hermits is for shells. I agree with you about the part they arent primary algae eaters since I've seen my hermits eating nice chunks of my own home made fish foods. But so far so good no one fights in my tank at all! I guess well have to wait and see.


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## Announce (Aug 27, 2008)

Oh yes I had extra shells, but when food is scarce they go to extreme measures, from what i've seen they always pick meaty foods over algae. Then again it depends on the type of Hermits you have and how many. 

By far my favorite witnessing with my hermits was two trying to steal eachothers shell and my eel decided to come along and eat the exposed hermit.

Any way, besides the point, your tank looks awesome keep up the good work


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Announce said:


> Oh yes I had extra shells, but when food is scarce they go to extreme measures, from what i've seen they always pick meaty foods over algae. Then again it depends on the type of Hermits you have and how many.
> 
> By far my favorite witnessing with my hermits was two trying to steal eachothers shell and my eel decided to come along and eat the exposed hermit.
> 
> Any way, besides the point, your tank looks awesome keep up the good work


I have;

3 holloween
3 tiny tiny blue legg
1 scarlet.

I havent seen any of them nip at anything and I watch my tank regularly since its in my bedroom! The only thing I've seen attack soemthing is my two clowns with eachother and one clown always tries to eat a holloween hermit lol.

Thanks! Glad you like it, my first ever SW tank!


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I have 4 hermits in my 10 gallon, and oodles of shells. Mind you, I have a huge stomatella pop, I am sure they might nom on some slugs with hats if they want. 

hermits tend to graze, but I do throw in some food from time to time so they cna keep the peace.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Sunstar said:


> I have 4 hermits in my 10 gallon, and oodles of shells. Mind you, I have a huge stomatella pop, I am sure they might nom on some slugs with hats if they want.
> 
> hermits tend to graze, but I do throw in some food from time to time so they cna keep the peace.


I have tons of stomatella also! Specially in my refug. they came in my cheatto.


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## Announce (Aug 27, 2008)

Katsafados said:


> I have;
> 
> 3 holloween
> 3 tiny tiny blue legg
> ...


It's an awesome hobby, the tank will look even better when it begins to grow out. To be honest I think scarlets are the only hermit I would trust, they are truly a reef hermit, other than that the blue leg's arnt bad until they get a bit bigger, your only worry would be the halloweens (then again I have no experience with the).

You should try some easy to grow corals in order to cover up that live rock, Xenia, Star Polyps, mushrooms, Zoas. They grow a lot faster than the stony corals you have.

However if you do want the favia to grow like crazy put a little brine shrimp on the polyps at night, they should eat it.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

Announce said:


> It's an awesome hobby, the tank will look even better when it begins to grow out. To be honest I think scarlets are the only hermit I would trust, they are truly a reef hermit, other than that the blue leg's arnt bad until they get a bit bigger, your only worry would be the halloweens (then again I have no experience with the).
> 
> You should try some easy to grow corals in order to cover up that live rock, Xenia, Star Polyps, mushrooms, Zoas. They grow a lot faster than the stony corals you have.
> 
> However if you do want the favia to grow like crazy put a little brine shrimp on the polyps at night, they should eat it.


Yeah I have about 3 nice frags of zoas(red, green, yellow, orange)! Soon I'll be filling up the rock more with shrooms and rics. I'm not sure if I want to get xenia since they grow like weeds and itll be a pain in the.. to keep up with them. I was thinking about a torch coral or something that has tenticles that flow. My options are limited since I only have 2x40watt pc lighting! Eventually the LR will be filled with corals, I'm just adding them in slowly. I'm in no rush!

Also I dont spot feed anything. I've just been feeding the tank mysis, brine, home made food and phyto feast. I suppliment with selcon, vitachem, garlic xtreen, and zoe. (not using them lal a thte same time!)


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Do you just dose the selcon and garlic or do you let your dry foods soak in it?


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

UnderTheSea said:


> Do you just dose the selcon and garlic or do you let your dry foods soak in it?


I dont use dry food's. Only frozen!

For the home made food that I made I put lots of selcon and garl xtreem in it. Th put it into the freezer.

But when I feed I soak my mysis and brine even phytoplankton inside the suplments + some tank water for acouple of hours then add directly to the tank.


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Katsafados said:


> I dont use dry food's. Only frozen!
> 
> For the home made food that I made I put lots of selcon and garl xtreem in it. Th put it into the freezer.
> 
> But when I feed I soak my mysis and brine even phytoplankton inside the suplments + some tank water for acouple of hours then add directly to the tank.


You maybe wasting the selcon due to the fact that the mysis won't absorb it. Most enrich the brine by having live brine and adding the selcon to their water. The selcon will help the corals but not necessarily the fish. If you are trying to feed the selcon to the corals therer are much cheaper methods by buying bulk Vitamin C, Imulsified Fish Oil etc....

I'm not trying beat you up  just trying to help you out and not waste any $ that you could put into ther things. One of the best ways of doing this is buying in bulk.

For those who don't know what selcon is.....

Selcon

Only Selcon Concentrate contains Omega-3 HUFA, Vitamin B12 and pure stabilized Vitamin C.

So if you are establishing a saltwater breeding program, preventing/reversing lateral line disease or just maintaining a healthy reef system, try Selcon; it's truly amazing.

Excellent for soaking freeze-dried foods. 
A must for filter-feeding invertebrates. 
Boosts the nutritional value of live brine shrimp.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

I dont soak the mysis in it lol. I only use it for my own home made fish food. 

shrim, scallops, haddock, tiny piece of salmon, king crab, squid ect.

The mysis and brine shrimp get the vitachem and zoe.


I also does the tank once every two weeks roatating the 3 suppliments.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Nice tank! Looks pretty spacious for a 10G tank. 

I like hermits, the do keep tank clean. I had about 5 including one large blue knuckle in my 12G nano, and they did well and kept the tank clean of algae.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

conix67 said:


> Nice tank! Looks pretty spacious for a 10G tank.
> 
> I like hermits, the do keep tank clean. I had about 5 including one large blue knuckle in my 12G nano, and they did well and kept the tank clean of algae.


Thank you! Finally someone else that doesnt think theres to much hermits! lol Have they ever killed anything in your tank?


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Katsafados said:


> Thank you! Finally someone else that doesnt think theres to much hermits! lol Have they ever killed anything in your tank?


My hermits, I don't think so. Although the population of snails were decreasing over time, but I attributed those to natural death of snails (fall and cannot turn itself around). I never saw my hermits attacking snails.

My little bumblebee snails never died though. They've been in my system for more than 6 months, and all 3 of them are doing well.

The hermits, I noticed, use SPS corals when molting (I'm assuming they do this for protection). They would sit on it for few days, on acros/millies/monti caps, then they produce the molt.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

conix67 said:


> My hermits, I don't think so. Although the population of snails were decreasing over time, but I attributed those to natural death of snails (fall and cannot turn itself around). I never saw my hermits attacking snails.
> 
> My little bumblebee snails never died though. They've been in my system for more than 6 months, and all 3 of them are doing well.
> 
> The hermits, I noticed, use SPS corals when molting (I'm assuming they do this for protection). They would sit on it for few days, on acros/millies/monti caps, then they produce the molt.


I noticed mine likes to sleep on my Favia! The same holloween hermit always crawls ontop or on the side of it and stays there the whole night. It doesnt pick at it or anything. Sometimes itll grab the rock(looking for algae) But never touch's the coral itself.

When mine molt they tend to go into nooks in the LR.


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## Katsafados (Jul 15, 2009)

New plate coral


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