10 gal micro sumpless reef tank

[scubasteve]

Well I caved. Not having coral is literally depressing so going ultra micro for the time being.

Am setting up and will post pics and more as I go. Anyone near Cambridge have some corraline scrapings I could steal? Not even sure who is around in my area anymore.

P.s. if you get rid of coral don't look at past tank pictures or show pictures, you will be back‍.

 

[scubasteve]

Time to get started. 5 gal of water pre warmed and mixed. Loading live sand in bottom, egg crate already in then to ponder how to stack the rock. Went and exchanged the garbage bone white rock for a box of actual purple live rock. Seems like someone bought a box then returned base rock, damn scammers are everywhere, no wonder LFS are shutting down all the time.

Will be funny to see 15 or so frags look like a full tank when its ready lol.

 

[scubasteve]

Cycling, cycling, cycling! Used colony marine so it will stabilize super quick. Now to find a really nice clown somewhere. Will likely be a gladiator or Picasso. Have to start shopping around with zoas and sps too. Ai sol blue on a 10 gal is comical. I'm only running 25-30% intensity and still likely have to turn it down lmao.

This is how it is looking so far. Not alot of room in a 10 gal but still got a nice arch setup. Salt world has basically died near me. Seems it's all in Toronto or London. So sad to see so many that I spent a lot of money at no longer around. Would have been nice to do a visit.

 

[Shooter000]

Awesome dude, glad to see you back

 

[Painter Steve]

Once your ready I can frag up some freebee zoa's for ya.

 

[scubasteve]

Awesome dude, glad to see you back

I'm itching for frags. Lmao

 

[scubasteve]

Once your ready I can frag up some freebee zoa's for ya.

I'll take a freebie to make sure it's ready, then come buy a few. I know you got goodies.

 

[Painter Steve]

I'll take a freebie to make sure it's ready, then come buy a few. I know you got goodies.

Let me know when and I'll get cut you a Scrambled Eggs frag, its an indestructible zoa. If things go good will get you a few more. Don't want any $ for them, just glad to see ya get back into the game.

 

[scubasteve]

Well changed the rock a bit again after posting lol. Gave myself some more room for zoanthids and more area for sps to grow taller plus a couple inches all around away from glass. Also ended up creating a couple small caves that won't just collect crap.

Double checked and got all water parameters and temp to where I want them. After double checking the next day I added a bottle of tisbe copepods and rotifiers from canada copepods and am dosing phyto every 2 days. Should get a nice colony established in the rock and sand.

If I can find a nice torch I'll get a clown if not I'll just start a pod culture and get a mandarin or other small goby. Options are pretty limited fish wise but I'm more for the coral but know fish poop helps. Would be nice to get some amphipods and micro bristle stars out of someone's sump. Is nice to have full control starting from all dry but there are some critters I want in there. Can live without bristleworms tho lmao.

 

[scubasteve]

Well even if I don't get a torch I already got a clown. saw this onyx picasso for $35 and I just could not pass it up. Nice pattern and being fat and halthy made it an easy choice. Had some beauty helmets for $60 but they were tiny. Cycling is done so instead of adding more ammonia I added this dude instead. Amazing how fast you can add fish using bacteria and prime or alpha. Once it stabilizes from him being in for a week or 2 I guess it will be time to try a zoa plug and a Monti plug.


On a side note what is everyone's favourite place for zoas and sps? Seems most my favourite places are long gone or mostly LPS now. A bunch of new places Toronto way but I really hate going to Toronto. Went to coral reef shop in Burlington the other day, thats where I got the clown from. Had quite a bit of nice stuff even after all the black Friday sales.

 

[Sasha T]

On a side note what is everyone's favourite place for zoas and sps? Seems most my favourite places are long gone or mostly LPS now. A bunch of new places Toronto way but I really hate going to Toronto. Went to coral reef shop in Burlington the other day, thats where I got the clown from. Had quite a bit of nice stuff even after all the black Friday sales.

I'll recommend Cultured By Science
It's in Guelph so close by you, it's an "out of the garage" setup run by a few people including marine biology grads from UofG. As you might expect it's a smaller selection than full on stores but they're all very knowledgeable and I've had overwhelming success with the frags I've gotten from them.

 

[scubasteve]

I'll recommend Cultured By Science
It's in Guelph so close by you, it's an "out of the garage" setup run by a few people including marine biology grads from UofG. As you might expect it's a smaller selection than full on stores but they're all very knowledgeable and I've had overwhelming success with the frags I've gotten from them.

Will have to check them out when I'm more stable.

 

[scubasteve]

Snails in, still alive after 3 days, guess it's time to start trying corals.

 

[scubasteve]

2 new toys added, got me an F zone ATO which is basically the same as the auto aqua smart ato but only $60. Also picked me up the smallest hygger dc wave pump with controller for $117 and worth every penny! Literally 3ft from my bed and absolutely silent and easy to configure. Makes a nice wave too. Would do a 20 no problem maybe even a 30 LPS.

Clownfish doing well and finally starting to eat after settling in. Snails all alive and tried a frag of monti and a frag of zoas to see how the do. As expected monti was white overnight and zoas are hating life at the moment but I know the system is still too new and clean. They aren't dying but sure aren't happy (well the monti is likely dead). 1 little clownfish just doesn't give off much for nutrients so im overfeeding to help.

Started my copepod and phytoplankton culture after seeding my tank a week ago. Will split both into a secondary culture and once booming get a mandarin. 1 clown, 1 mandarin and a blood shrimp will max me out with this little tank. Also building an hob refugium to help with pod population and give me a place for a mini skimmer if I decide to add one. Likely just do an algae scrubber instead, all depends on my nutrient load as algae scrubber may be too much.

 

[scubasteve]

Another new toy! I have always wanted to do this and having every plug controlled by its own rocker switch "that I actually labelled for once" saves pulling plugs (and hair) for water changes. I was also using my old analog timer PowerBar so no more annoying ticking. It has been a mission to keep this tank silent enough to be right beside my bed and not bother me sleeping but I have managed. New DC sine wave pumps for the win. Even my air pump for copepods and phyto is quiet. My bloop bloop bloop of bubbles is louder then anything.

 

[Painter Steve]

How the Zoa's doing?

 

[scubasteve]

How the Zoa's doing?

Doing good now. Had to turn down wave pump a touch and up the lights a little but they are open now. Well the pineapple express aren't but they are hating me right now. My salinity was also a touch high so glad I grabbed a bottle of calibration fluid after confirming with lfs refractometer. Confidence took a hit but glad I got it sorted out. Should be few problems from here on out till I attempt to go water changeless in a 10 gal.

 

[Painter Steve]

Glad to hear things are getting sorted out. I've got a few Zoa frags ready when you are.

 

[scubasteve]

New critter. Got a blood shrimp to help cleanup what the clown misses and i just love them. Nice long slow acclimation to get him nestled in. If he does well ill have to try another monti frag and Millie frag. Sucks having such a small tank but its all I have room for at this moment. Will get 1 more fish and that will be maxed out. Most likely a mandarin dragonette since I already have a tisbe pod culture, tank seeded and phyto culture. Still want to get some Tigger pods and some isocrysis phytoplankton for a culture too so been holding off. Also want to make a nice plexiglass ATO reservoir and a 4 chamber culture tank.

 

[scubasteve]

Some great deals out there today. Acans at big als for $15 and all their livestock 25% off and 20% off for phyto at the kitchener one so I grabbed an acan frag and a milli frag and of course a feather duster lol. My phyto culture never did start with the stuff from canada copepods so had to start another with this fresh stuff. Also nabbed some tigger pods so now i have tisbe, tigger and nannochloropsis brewing away and seeded in tank for when i get a mandarin, have a blue mandarin dragonette ordered and coming in. I like them better then the green, red or spotted.

All the newbies are acclimated, in tank and inflated. Should do well now that my parameters are all great after the refractometer debacle. Cultured by science has some crazy good deals up to 90% off so ordered my favourite utter chaos and some rainbow incinerator and an apple jack acro frag. Gotta be picky with such a small tank but on a plus side frags look huge!