# 10 gallon reef starfire build !



## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Well. I bit the bullet. After a few years in the fresh water scene I made the move and took down my 10 gallon shrimp tank. Due to my budget I wanted to keep things small for now. I know the whole debate about nanos but that aside here is what I'm up to.

Tank is a 10 gallon starfire tank from aqua inspiration.

45x27.5x30 cm so that's about 17 by 10 by 12 inches.










The gravel I got for free from a user ( not sure his username. We met through someone else ) much thanks on that btw.

As you can see its a shallow bed, just enough for the live rock to sit nicely.

This is pinky. My partner in crime. He always joins me when I clean my tank ( he chases the bubbles in the siphon lol )










Picked up a goose neck 30 cm with tank mount for my par38 bulb. Gooseneck was from fragbox (great place ) and the bulb was from aquatic kingdom. Same ones they use to run the stores.










Picked up one of these for flow. I initially was going to use an empty nexx filter but the pump is an eye sore and so I picked this up for flow instead. Love it. Controller module is pretty cool as well.










Here is what I got so far. A random power filter I found for flow. Then the power head on the opposite side. So far I see some great flow with no dead spots. (When it was just the power filter on there were tons of dead spots ) the live rock was from that same user I spoke of earlier. Picked up about 15-20 pounds or so. He has had it for seven years in his 180 reef set up and a 75g sump I believe. It came with some feather duster worms and those little starfish. Nothing else that seems to worry so that's good.










I made sure I have roughly an inch or so around the whole parameter of the tank for circulation , and easy glass clean up. I have a magfloat algae thing for my 55 but it would be too big.

You guys think I should get the uber small version of it or the blade with the long stick ?

Thoughts , opinions etc. water and rock have been there for a few days. Had some cycled water too from his tank. Salinity at 1.023 may raise it a bit more. Haven't tested parameters yet. Also for my temp at a steady 78 degrees. Shot everything with my iphone 5, was too lazy to take out the DSLR. maybe once I get some zoas and shrooms in there ill go to town on some proper photos.


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## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

Nice setup!
Love the rock work that you did there!
Looking closely at the tank, its hard to tell its only 10Gallons!

Hit me up if your ever looking for some frags!


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Jaysan said:


> Nice setup!
> Love the rock work that you did there!
> Looking closely at the tank, its hard to tell its only 10Gallons!
> 
> Hit me up if your ever looking for some frags!


much thanks, yeah the ten gallon has odd dimensions too it, but it is a beaut. im real happy with the tank so far. cant wait to get some zoas in there!


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

CatfishSoupFTW said:


> This is pinky. My partner in crime. He always joins me when I clean my tank ( he chases the bubbles in the siphon lol )


OMG!! We have a cat that I swear hears the python siphon going and shows up from no where. He does bubble patrol, too.

Amazing what can entertain our pets.

But them again, we stare at glass boxes full of water. What does that say about us?

Btw, your rock work looks great. Lots of places for corals!


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

I got a question for anyone who sees this. 

what are thoughts on live stock? I would like a clown, but im worried about bioload. 

i know many do pistol shrimp and goby, but can i do pistol shrimp and clown? 

or shrimp, clown, star?


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## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

A clown by itself shouldnt increase the bioload by too much.
A small clown will be okay. 
Clown and pistol shrimp will be okay. They just wont pair up like a goby and shrimp.
I wouldnt put a starfish in there as from what I gather, they require stable conditions, and its hardwr to keep stable conditions on a nano. 
Good luck!


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Jaysan said:


> A clown by itself shouldnt increase the bioload by too much.
> A small clown will be okay.
> Clown and pistol shrimp will be okay. They just wont pair up like a goby and shrimp.
> I wouldnt put a starfish in there as from what I gather, they require stable conditions, and its hardwr to keep stable conditions on a nano.
> Good luck!


damn. well pairing isnt a huge issue but ill look around some more and see my possibilities. gotta choose wisely here. lol

also got another question. The tank is running through its paces, and last time i tested it I had low ammonia, 0 nitrites and really high nitrates. I did a water change, just a small one, have done two already, about to test now actually for new results. But i have been testing my salinity (gravity) and i noticed the salinity went up a few from 1.023 to 1.026 or so. now, if i had both my tank water and water changing water at the same temp and same salinity, can the salinity change if i dont remove enough from the tank? or does it not matter insuring i replace as much as i remove.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

CatfishSoupFTW said:


> I got a question for anyone who sees this.
> 
> what are thoughts on live stock? I would like a clown, but im worried about bioload.
> 
> ...


In the front room at Canada Corals there is a 10 gallon coral tank with a few fish, including a fire fish and I think a goby. Can't remember exactly. They do a 60% water change every two weeks with no skimmer or mechanical filtering other than a foam pad.

In my 5 gallon I have 2 clowns, a couple snails, and will move a sexy shrimp into there this weekend. We do a 1 gallon water change every couple of days from the DT. In real terms, that's a Sangria plastic pitcher from Walmart converted to be a water change pitcher because it was too small for Sangria.

Those with more salty brains than I have will comment about the success of a clown fish developing a symbiotic relationship with the pistol shrimp. I think I have seen my pistol shrimp in the DT maybe twice this year?

I like the glass anemone shrimp, and they will host in things other than anemones and I see them in my tank all the time.

As long as the fish will stay small, why not? Some fish, like a jester goby are a great size for a 10 gallon.

But this is my humble opinion, and I know nothing! Except I need a larger sangria pitcher now.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Crayon said:


> In the front room at Canada Corals there is a 10 gallon coral tank with a few fish, including a fire fish and I think a goby. Can't remember exactly. They do a 60% water change every two weeks with no skimmer or mechanical filtering other than a foam pad.
> 
> In my 5 gallon I have 2 clowns, a couple snails, and will move a sexy shrimp into there this weekend. We do a 1 gallon water change every couple of days from the DT. In real terms, that's a Sangria plastic pitcher from Walmart converted to be a water change pitcher because it was too small for Sangria.
> 
> ...


sangria pitcher with no sangria.

that alone is frowned upon. hahaha

yeah I know what you mean, I mean I have overstocked before in tanks (fw) and made it happen. then you see sometimes in stores they do it etc, with long term success. ideally if they are small then im fine with that.

Clowns, shrimp, goby, hermit grabs are things I am debating for, for this tank. not sure what combo, or how many or what exactly. still researching.

whats the smallest clown species? I feel bad not having a pair of fish - seems lonely but who knows if that bothers them. Im so used to my tetra school in my 55. lol


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Well, the lack of sangria hasn't been an issue until this week. It is about to move up on the priority list Saturday.

My anemone hermit crab had to do 3 point turns in my 5 gallon, so he got moved. A tiny tiny blue legged hermit would work.

You could do a pair of clowns, I would think! They are always active which is good, cause small fish tend to be a little more reclusive. Clowns are pretty tolerant of variations in conditions, too, which helps.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Crayon said:


> Well, the lack of sangria hasn't been an issue until this week. It is about to move up on the priority list Saturday.
> 
> My anemone hermit crab had to do 3 point turns in my 5 gallon, so he got moved. A tiny tiny blue legged hermit would work.
> 
> You could do a pair of clowns, I would think! They are always active which is good, cause small fish tend to be a little more reclusive. Clowns are pretty tolerant of variations in conditions, too, which helps.


ideally id like to have 2 clowns a shrimp and a hermit grab or 2 and id be happy.

if not, minus 1 clown. Worst case, pistol shrimp goby combo. ill continue working on my parameters, and see how consistent I can be and then maybe if its good Ill take the risk? not sure yet.

most of the tank would be zoas though as I feel that those would look best in a ten gallon.

for refuge then, what am i looking at for a clown or two? something that wont get too big too fast.


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## wchen9 (Jan 23, 2014)

CatfishSoupFTW said:


> damn. well pairing isnt a huge issue but ill look around some more and see my possibilities. gotta choose wisely here. lol
> 
> also got another question. The tank is running through its paces, and last time i tested it I had low ammonia, 0 nitrites and really high nitrates. I did a water change, just a small one, have done two already, about to test now actually for new results. But i have been testing my salinity (gravity) and i noticed the salinity went up a few from 1.023 to 1.026 or so. now, if i had both my tank water and water changing water at the same temp and same salinity, can the salinity change if i dont remove enough from the tank? or does it not matter insuring i replace as much as i remove.


Are you topping up for evaporation with saltwater? That would raise salinity. Top ups should be done with fresh water only, no salt mixed in. Salt does not evaporate along with the water so that would raise your salinity.

Other than that, salinity should not swing unless the new water and tank water are different. I would aim to roughly replace the same amount of water that is taken out so you don't have your water level fluctuating too much, this way you know how much you need to top off with fresh water between changes.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

CatfishSoupFTW said:


> ideally id like to have 2 clowns a shrimp and a hermit grab or 2 and id be happy.
> 
> if not, minus 1 clown. Worst case, pistol shrimp goby combo. ill continue working on my parameters, and see how consistent I can be and then maybe if its good Ill take the risk? not sure yet.
> 
> ...


My black clowns took about a year and a half to get to a size that I think would be too big for a 10 gallon. It's not a long time, but they are hardier, and it's always nice to have a positive start to a tank, rather than dealing with touchy fish and having them die.

I have a pair of TR ocellaris, as well as my tiny hermit crab, and shrimp. The hermit and shrimp help with the bioload they don't really add to it cause they eat the food left over, and other stuff. I also have a small elegance coral, a small torch, a small pulsing Xenia, as well as zoas. Will find a few more corals to add. Everything grows, so if something gets too big, it will get moved to the other tanks.

The best way to keep a small system happy is to keep up with the water changes.
Britewell Aquatics makes 2 products specifically designed for nano tanks to help w keeping the reef chemistry stable. I don't use them because I can take water out of my main system for water changes however I have read about a few people who only keep one nano tank, and they do use the nano stuff from Britewell for dosing.
NAFB carries the Britewell line.


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

Congrats on your set up - looks great so far!
I have a 12 gallon with a yellow clown goby - amazing fish, a scooter blenny and a flame prawn goby - all tiny fish and I won't be adding anything else in the way of livestock
Other than the fish, I have approx 8 snails
Many corals and of course live rock 
Water chemistry is great and no bioload issues with my fish stocking 
My small tank has been stable for 8 months now but with a small tank, many of the normally kept fish such as tangs, clowns etc are out if the question


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## manmadecorals (Jan 17, 2012)

Crayon said:


> In the front room at Canada Corals there is a 10 gallon coral tank with a few fish, including a fire fish and I think a goby. Can't remember exactly. They do a 60% water change every two weeks with no skimmer or mechanical filtering other than a foam pad.


I believe the Fluval Edge is only 6 gallon and that CC do a 50% WC weekly.

It's important in Nanos to continously replenish your small tank with new saltwater frequently as your corals and other livestock quickly consume the water's nutrients and "pollute" the water. Water parameters are easier to fluctuate due to the small volume of water being contained in your nano.

I've had nanos since i started this hobby with an 18 gallon as the biggest tank I've ever owned and 1 gallon as the smallest i've ever owned (still own). I had to learn the hard ways of the nanos very early on... it was an extremely upsetting and costly experience but i'm now very happy with the results of my current nanos. 

I now do 2 water changes a week of about 10% to 15% each time. Once every 2 or 3 months i'll do a 50% water change.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

wchen9 said:


> Are you topping up for evaporation with saltwater? That would raise salinity. Top ups should be done with fresh water only, no salt mixed in. Salt does not evaporate along with the water so that would raise your salinity.
> 
> Other than that, salinity should not swing unless the new water and tank water are different. I would aim to roughly replace the same amount of water that is taken out so you don't have your water level fluctuating too much, this way you know how much you need to top off with fresh water between changes.


yup, I got a empty salt bucket (well rinsed) that I use to store fresh water, then i just siphon some in daily or every other day. I guess my salinity may have been off a bit. speaking of which, my tank needs a top off today. lol



Crayon said:


> My black clowns took about a year and a half to get to a size that I think would be too big for a 10 gallon. It's not a long time, but they are hardier, and it's always nice to have a positive start to a tank, rather than dealing with touchy fish and having them die.
> 
> I have a pair of TR ocellaris, as well as my tiny hermit crab, and shrimp. The hermit and shrimp help with the bioload they don't really add to it cause they eat the food left over, and other stuff. I also have a small elegance coral, a small torch, a small pulsing Xenia, as well as zoas. Will find a few more corals to add. Everything grows, so if something gets too big, it will get moved to the other tanks.
> 
> ...


much thanks ! ill look into everything you have mentioned and see what I can do. I would love a clown but im not too sure yet if thats the way to go.



manhtu said:


> I believe the Fluval Edge is only 6 gallon and that CC do a 50% WC weekly.
> 
> It's important in Nanos to continously replenish your small tank with new saltwater frequently as your corals and other livestock quickly consume the water's nutrients and "pollute" the water. Water parameters are easier to fluctuate due to the small volume of water being contained in your nano.
> 
> ...


yeah ill make sure once a week I do about 15-20 percent of the tank. I also keep a spray bottle with salt water because sometimes the live rock sees air ( as some of it is about 1.5 inches underneath the water level) so I try to spray it as I do a water change to avoid it drying out too much.

I have heard nanos can be tough, but the beauty of a nano tank I think is pretty fascinating. When you do your 50 percent water change, do you do anything to keep your stock wet/moist? as I assume somethings gotta be exposed when you have 50 percent of the water out of a small system.


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## wchen9 (Jan 23, 2014)

How much evaporation do you find you are getting with this tank? Also, how much flow is going through your hob?

I have a very similar tank (I think its also from AI but it is 16x12x12) which I am planning on setting up in a few months and I'm hoping one large hob will be all the flow I need for mine.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

wchen9 said:


> How much evaporation do you find you are getting with this tank? Also, how much flow is going through your hob?
> 
> I have a very similar tank (I think its also from AI but it is 16x12x12) which I am planning on setting up in a few months and I'm hoping one large hob will be all the flow I need for mine.


the hob itself isnt adding much flow. and im sure thats partly because its not that large. Its for a 10 gallon but most people go AC70 or so for a 10 gallon. which is better no doubt but much larger which I didnt want to do.

instead though, to compensate for the lack of flow, I bought the wavemaker you see in my first post. It was 50 bucks at fragbox, and its real great for the money. Its real compact, its a ball shape so you can move it any direction basically, and it also has a controller modular to change different modes. 3 speed modes, a few wave making modes, random mode (which I use) and a dial to adjust the speed better. I love this thing, the second I connected it, my tank became like a cyclone lol. There is great flow, from end to end of the tank, when I look at my tank, I inspect the liverock which have some stuff on it, I can see it move nicely. In every possible spot I see good flow. 2 of these would be overkill but possible in my opinion.

It was recommended to me by a user, and I have heard good things from it, totally worth it. If you want to spend some good cash though Koralia has the koralia nano, but thats 250 bucks or so brand new - its even smaller, as an external motor and some wifi stuff, so that you can have multiple heads with different settings. I didnt want to spend that much, but for a larger tank I would.

As for evaporation, im in an apartment, so it has no central AC unit. I have an AC in my living room, and im at the opposite end, with a fan, a 55 gallon tank, and a massive computer, so I get some good heat in my room. Personally though I dont experience too much evaporation. When this ten gallon was a FW shrimp tank, I would lose an inch-ish of water in a 1-2 week period, so my top offs atm isnt anything too crazy. I top it off, once every 2-3 days. Ill have to see how it pans out in the summer, but topping it off by hand atm isnt too shabby. May get an ATO later just to be all fancy, but its a 10 gallon tank, so I mean its nothing too out of control.

Oh and the PAR38 bulb doesnt get too hot, and its about 12 inches above the water line, so I dont think its affecting it too much. So far so good. 

if youre wondering on prices and all that

tank was 70 or so, cant remember it was a while back
live rock 15-20 pounds 7 years old for 50
substrate I got for free but probably around 20 bucks or so. (aragonite) 
gooseneck 30 bucks
PAR38 aquatic kingdom 100 bucks
Heater used for 10 bucks
HOB, no idea it was in my closet lol buy it used though
Wave maker 50 bucks
Instant ocean salt was 60 bucks or so for a bucket. which will last me a long while
Salt testing kit free, and hydrometer free

so 300 bucks or so in total. Lots of good stuff you can get from users here, and it has saved me quite a bit! as I still have corals to buy. lol but ill by buying frags, so 10 bucks give or take per each which is fair.

Im using tap water atm, that I condition, and let sit for a week, but ill be buying an RODI eventually - just looking for a good deal atm.

I also got a 5 gallon mixing container with an airstone and a heater to keep water in movement and to temp.


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## wchen9 (Jan 23, 2014)

Haha, ok thanks I was just curious about that. I have a lot of equipment already and am running a 30g+sump marine tank so I'm just slowly collecting pieces for this one. I am considering an AC70 and may try to go that route just to minimize the amount of in tank equipment.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

wchen9 said:


> Haha, ok thanks I was just curious about that. I have a lot of equipment already and am running a 30g+sump marine tank so I'm just slowly collecting pieces for this one. I am considering an AC70 and may try to go that route just to minimize the amount of in tank equipment.


there are some simple AC70 mods people do as well, with built in skimmers, and some certain media baskets its pretty niffty you should check those out.

An AC70 and maybe a wavemaker would suffice I think. and maybe a small enough heater can go in the HOB ? I think that could possibly work out well.

make sure you make a journal when the building starts! XD


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Front shot of the tank ! 










A nice zoa colony I have. Not sure which. Some identification would be nice !



















Acan ?










Shroom ?










Green polyp Can't wait until it carpets !



















Another zoa. Bare with me on the picture quality. If they don't look good on the thread (via iPhone and tapatalk ) I'll bust out the dslr. It's just nice and convenient through the iPhone.

Thoughts ?  also got five blue legged hermit grabs.  they are pretty active. Se have changed shells too.


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## Marz (Mar 1, 2014)

Wow, very nice looking. I have a 10g that I was thinking infusing as a kino frag tank...how is the PAR38 working out?


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Marz said:


> Wow, very nice looking. I have a 10g that I was thinking infusing as a kino frag tank...how is the PAR38 working out?


absolutely love it. 16 leds at 3 watts. the one you can purchase from advanced reef aquatics in milton. Its not crazy blue, around 18K. its a nice blue. very well spread, (90 degree optics) and the colors really pop. (as you can see) Full spectrum too, including some UVs etc. this one > http://www.advancedreefaquatics.ca/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=636

The first bulb I had (only used for a week) was real nice as well. only used for a week, but the 14K was too white for my pleasure ( im selling those if youre interested ) that one is 12 , 3 watt leds. So far my coral is acting well, they look fairly happy, opening up very nicely every time my light cycle starts. the 16 led one was a bit more expensive, but worth the money. the store owner speaks well of it, and his knowledge and honesty is respected as well. they sell like cupcakes though. XD


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

One shot with a corrected white balance, and another one where my iphone said otherwise, but works for the better. lol I dont have moon lights yet, but im trying to see what I can do in that department. Also, picked up a green tipped Hammer head, which I love !!! when I get clowns i hope they get along.

Also picked up.. not sure what its called, but its in the middle to the left, if someone could identify that would be great. Also, on the right hand side, with the red skeletal body, and the minty green tips, if someone could identify that. Its similar to my green polyps but with a skeletal body.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Anyone know what this is ? 
It's the only coral that hasn't opened ever since I bought it. Gave it a dip in revive and kicked a lot of nasties. It's been in the tank for 2-3 weeks. Doesn't look it's best.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Nobody know ? D:


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

It looks similar to my pipe organ but hard to tell on my phone.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

matti2uude said:


> It looks similar to my pipe organ but hard to tell on my phone.


I think you are right. whats your care on these? it was a beaut when I got it at the store about 2 weeks ago, but not many open. I removed TONSSS of stuff when i did a coral dip. only thing in it now is a brittle starfish or 2, but those shouldnt harm. not to mention, with all it had before, i was surprised it was open at the store.

no fish in the tank yet - but have been doing weekly 25 percent water changes with RO water.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Is there a reason you're doing such a large water change? 
Also, yes it's a pipe organ and I've never had them open up in a tank.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

altcharacter said:


> Is there a reason you're doing such a large water change?
> Also, yes it's a pipe organ and I've never had them open up in a tank.


The water changes is just do a few things. I started with tap water, so im just replacing whatever may be left content wise. Any minor nitrates I had there earlier, should be lower than before. but they are probably at there low. What I have also read up on is that corals need water changes? As in for nutrients etc in the water? I could be wrong but - .

As for why 25 percent , it's the number I have always done to all my tanks.

yeah I have heard very mixed reviews on this coral. Picked it up at coral reef shop in burly, and it was looking great there. curious what they were doing there.

hmm, I just scrolled up, and I noticed that the coral had some bits of it opened up when it was higher up in the tank - closer to the light. you think thats why? maybe ill try it tomorrow. its a par38 with 16 3watts, maybe 12 inches above the water line, so i figured at all depths it should be strong enough. potentially not?


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Usually a 10% water change will be enough to replenish any needed minerals and remove any unwanted nitrates or phosphates. Doing a larger water change might interrupt your tank a bit.

Corals in general like consistency to be happy and if you're changing 25% of the water you might have a very large swing in any one or more of the water params.

Imagine your water being at a dKh of 8 and then doing a 25% WC which might raise your dKh up to 10 or even higher depending on the salt you use.

Really in a small nano system like you have it's almost beneficial to do a much smaller daily water change than a large weekly one. When I had my 8g I would take a 12oz plastic up of water out a day and replace it. Was super easy to do and I never had to pull buckets out


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

altcharacter said:


> Usually a 10% water change will be enough to replenish any needed minerals and remove any unwanted nitrates or phosphates. Doing a larger water change might interrupt your tank a bit.
> 
> Corals in general like consistency to be happy and if you're changing 25% of the water you might have a very large swing in any one or more of the water params.
> 
> ...


hm, interesting. so what about top offs? with fresh water. I guess you never needed to?


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

With a smaller nano tank your evaporation will be a pain! The salinity swings will be crazy without some type of ATO system integrated, but that is the fun of a nano right? Yes, top off the system with freshwater to replenish the evaporation. Also by doing this you are putting more minerals into the system for the corals to thrive. This is also why I was mentioning a 25% WC wouldn't be needed.

With a larger tank 20+gallons you get the same % of evaporation but larger tanks tend to be easier to handle due to being able to setup some type of ATO. So with a smaller tank you might have your salinity at 1.025 at the beginning of the day but with a hot day like we have, you will come home to a tank that might be in the 1.028-1.030 range. I remember coming home one day and finding my 8g at 1.030 and everything inside the tank looking miserable. That was the day when my wife and I decided to go with a 20g and a sump.

Now we're on to a 50g with a 20g sump and we couldn't be happier.

Keep up the good work and keep the questions coming


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

My usual routine since the tank has been up, since April 11th or so. Has been topping it off with fresh water every 2-3 days. My evaporation is minimal as the LEDs don't emit as much light as my PC bulbs I used to have when the tank was a shrimp tank. Or the t5ho on my 55 so overall my evaporation hasn't been too bad. Even with my bedroom being the hottest place in the apartment. I base it off where my thermometer is and based off of that I know when I need a top off - visual marker. 

The salinity swings are from 1.023 to 1.025 on average. During evaporation periods which I don't think is too bad. 

If I were to remove let's say 16 oz worth everyday and replenish that ,
Topping of with fw would even be lesser than what I normally do - at least it seems like it would so. 

Much thanks on all the help. So far the tank has been good. Minor Bryopsis appearance and aptasia but I used calcium hydroxide and kent m to kill those. After that haven't seen any. Lots of pods out and about. Easily on the hundreds but no signs of anything bad. Live stock I haven't added yet but will in a few weeks. I wanted to tackle on stability and learn how to cope with it before I added live stock which seems it has paid off so far. My concern right now is just the organ pipe coral. There are some little starfish on them so I may move those as I think they are upsetting it. There is also a brittle starfish but I can't get them out even after a dip. 

Maybe it's the larger water changes that is harming the organ ? Have no idea. You think it needs to be closer up to the light ? The coral was much larger but with a big dead zone so I cut off most of its dead parts. Curious if that stressed it too.

Oops and as for ato I was contemplating getting one but haven't bothered as many say it's such a small top off the runoff of extra water may be a bit much. Or it's not needed. And so far I haven't really needed it. The tunze nano isn't bad it seems but not as good as it's later brother it seems and I don't like the chunky parts. The hydro controller with the prongs is pretty cool. Plus an aqualifter That would be cool. But again I haven't seemed to really need one. Rather than just want one. Lol my tank set up is simple. Tank , light , aragonite , light and a power head. Had a hob but the splashing caused more evaporation and salt creep around the tank.


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## wchen9 (Jan 23, 2014)

I think I would try to top up daily to lessen the salinity swings and I don't think evaporation rate would change with water change frequency.

Also, is your powerhead causing much surface agitation? If not that might help because while it does increase evaporation, it also helps with air exchange so you can get more oxygen in the water. I think that will help maintain Ph levels and you may need more oxygen when you add livestock.


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## deeznutz (Aug 21, 2013)

I'd be replacing all of those coral skeletons with porous live rock. Looks like a majority of it are skeletons (which are very dense and none porous)

Looking good though.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

wchen9 said:


> I think I would try to top up daily to lessen the salinity swings and I don't think evaporation rate would change with water change frequency.
> 
> Also, is your powerhead causing much surface agitation? If not that might help because while it does increase evaporation, it also helps with air exchange so you can get more oxygen in the water. I think that will help maintain Ph levels and you may need more oxygen when you add livestock.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


not enough, so earlier today I aimed it up more so that the water breaks a bit. I noticed a bit of surface skim on it, which i usually fix with a bit more surface disturbance. hopefully it will help. And yup, starting today, I will be doing liter a day of a water change.



deeznutz said:


> I'd be replacing all of those coral skeletons with porous live rock. Looks like a majority of it are skeletons (which are very dense and none porous)
> 
> Looking good though.


I have maybe 30-40 percent skeletons, but all the LR was about 7 years old so it has quite a bit of good stuff in it it seems. I have seen lots of feather dusters and other nice stuff.

Since the LR is 7 years old, I didnt want to dry out any of it, so the tank is a bit tight. I was contemplating upgrading to a 22 gal in order to keep that amount of LR but with more space for live stock. Because im sitting at 15-20 pounds in a 10 gallon which is fairly tight. and 10 pounds or less of aragonite.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

I know this is going to sound crazy but if you're going to do a upgrade then I would go up to a 35-50g tank. It will probably happen eventually so might as well do it now right?

Daily water top off is definitely better for consistency. In a freshwater system you can go weeks without ever needing to top off but in a saltwater environment if you don't top off your water constantly you'll have problems with: ph, dKh, salinity, and a list of other things. Which translates into your coral dying off and other organisms dying off as well which will drive up your nitrates and ammonia...which will kill more stuff in your tank.

Or just upgrade to a 100g


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Much thanks. 

So I started the daily cup water changes since yesterday and moved the pipe organ just about 2 inches below the water line and waking up today (hang over free  ) before my lights turned on I already saw much better extensions in the heads. They weren't as tucked in which is good. Hopefully it will do better. 


Well , before I started the sw build I contemplated many many set ups. But after much thought and budgeting I decided to build a nano. Browsing nano reefs helped me out a lot. 

In total with this build I have maybe spent 400 or so which I think is petty good. Much larger tanks would cost too much for me right now. I was contemplating upwards to 90 gallons at one point but the space and money would be too much. 

I'm a big fan of starfire rimless too , so just budgeting a 50 gall cube stand sump and skimmer is about a grand already. The cad lights one which are real nice. 

The big tank I'm saving that plan for when I move back from my studies. 

The reason why I'm contemplating a 22 cube was just to have more space around the already live rock i have. All I'd need would be the tank which is 170 or so and more substrate and I'm set. Nano builds I love - I just didn't expect having more live rock hence the contemplating upgrade. Probably still sumpless , skimmerless etc. 



Not sure if I will do all this though. Quick question though , sand or aragonite ? I got a shallow 1 inch bed of aragonite. I really like it , it's weight is nice so cleaning it doesn't turn into a sand storm. Just curious if I do a slightly larger tank, if I should do sand or aragonite.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

This is what mine looks like.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

matti2uude said:


> This is what mine looks like.


I got the minty green looking one. Ever since I moved it to the top, more heads are coming out now. still not with that much extension, but better than before. Whats your setup/ care?


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

I have a 25 gallon cube with 4 18" t5ho and an aqua clear 70 on low. I have the water filled to the filter output so I don't get air bubbles. I change about 4.5 gallons of water every week.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

matti2uude said:


> I have a 25 gallon cube with 4 18" t5ho and an aqua clear 70 on low. I have the water filled to the filter output so I don't get air bubbles. I change about 4.5 gallons of water every week.


hmm, okay I got one par38, 16 x 3w, and im doing 1 litre a day now. more of the heads are popping out. I hope it does recover. lots of them still in the pipes, but not coming out.

I cant imagine the care being too difficult. but we will see. Lots of mixed reviews I hear about this coral.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

spoke with the guy at CRS down in burly, and picked up some poly filter. He said maybe the zoas could be releasing something to upset the others. Figured, for 15 bucks id try it. Also picked up a ricordea and wanted to give a white acropora a go. Hopefully the carbon helps, as the other half of the pipe organ is still in the store and its going well. lol, in high flow and high light.


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## CatfishSoupFTW (Jul 21, 2011)

Anyone know what this is ? The tiny thing with the orange leg.









Because whatever t is. It's moving


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