10g Rimless Reef

[MattD]

Hello,

I decided I wanted to start a thread for the 10g I'm working on, to serve as both a record and to maintain interest in the hobby . This is my second attempt to downsize from an ultimately failed 75g that, even if I wanted to bring back from algae hell (specifically grape caluerpa that took over the display), is simply too bulky since I'll likely be moving around too much in the next years for it to be practical. 

 

My hope is that a much smaller 10g tank will be easier for me to maintain and perfect. For now I'm gonna keep things simple and grow out some softies and lps from the old system, some time later I might add something more active if things are going well.

 

The first attempt was a similar plan with similar equipment, but I tried to use a very old acrylic 6g eclipse... without the rim and small brace. 2 weeks and an ignored bowing outward of the back panel later, and it cracked and flooded the back wall and floor... thankfully while I was in the room and watching to save the LR and corals. It could have been much worse... since then I picked up a new 10g to use instead. I expect it to go better 🙂

On to equipment;

 

10g rimless water box

MP10 from the old system

20w Fluval marine nano light

small heater (I forgot which brand)

 

And that's it, alongside cleaned and cleared live rock+sand from the old tank and frequent water changes. In the distant future I might pick up a different light (been looking at the ao29 aqua knight), the fluval fixture was an impulse buy and doesn't have enough blue for my tastes, but should be sufficient for what I'm keeping if the PAR ratings on the box are accurate. I might also get a HOB for media but we'll see.

 

Current Livestock (waiting in the 75)

Purple torch

Green candycanes

Kenya tree leathers

Toadstool leather

Orange ricordea and blue mushrooms

Red acans

nuclear green palys

pink xenia

GSP

some cheap zoas

Moving most everything else in the following days. Rock is from the old tank so I'm not expecting a cycle.

[jolt]

I like the really clean look.   I think you've hit on a key to this hobby, which is to know how much time and money you will have to spend on it and then plan/choose things appropriately

[MattD]

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the water box, much better than the ugly scratched up acrylic bowfront I was going to use. It's the first I've been tempted to go bare bottom, though sand wins out for me again, mainly considering all the macrofauna that makes its home there. And yeah, I agree that knowing your limits is important, especially when bigger is better is such a common advice. A larger system is more chemically stable, but also increasingly more of a struggle and expense if things go wrong.

Anyway, I got most of the corals and sand moved over, though I'm waiting on the leathers to attach to rubble before I move them into the new system. The rocks they were on were too big so they needed to be cut off first.

Temporary placement, I need to go pick up some more rock to finish the 'scape. Most of my rock is too big for this system.

Also of interest;

 

This is the second time the Acans puke'd its guts out and slimed up the second I added the green palys specifically. I wonder why; no other corals are affected or have displayed such a reaction to each other. Seems that they don't get along chemically for whatever reason, at least at first. They're doing better now.

Edited August 18, 2019 by MattD