10 Gallon Saltwater Tank (3rd Time's the Charm)

[KrabbeAquatics]

Well I finally got this tank in good running order. After having the Royal Gramma and the Red Scooter Blenny(Dragonet) die I wanted to get some easier fish to keep that were also interesting. I picked up a Cleaner Shrimp and a Purple Fire Fish. I will also be adding atleast one more fish, but I am not sure which one at the moment. Eventually I will be setting up a "Mini-Reef" in this tank, but I need to build up some more rock and get some better lighting first.

My current stock:
-Purple Fire Fish (Nemateleotris Decora)
-Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata Amboinensis)
-Scarlet Hermit Crab (Paguristes Cadenati)
-Mexican Turbo Grazer Snail (Turbo Fluctuosa) [x2]
-Astrea Snail (Astraea Tecta) [x7]

And here are the new pics. More will be coming as I upgrade this setup for the Mini-Reef..

 

[KrabbeAquatics]

New Citrinis Clown Goby.

STOCK:
-Purple Fire Fish (Nemateleotris Decora)
-Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobiodon Citrinus)
-Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata Amboinensis)
-Scarlet Hermit Crab (Paguristes Cadenati)
-Mexican Turbo Grazer Snail (Turbo Fluctuosa) [x2]
-Astrea Snail (Astraea Tecta) [x7]

 

[ShadowBass]

Good current stock choices.

Sorry about the gramma and scooter blenny.

Unfortunately dragonettes are usually half starved before they're even sold. And a 10g just isn't sufficient for them unless they're already on prepared food or you have a large stock of fresh copepods.

 

[KrabbeAquatics]

Good current stock choices.

Sorry about the gramma and scooter blenny.

Unfortunately dragonettes are usually half starved before they're even sold. And a 10g just isn't sufficient for them unless they're already on prepared food or you have a large stock of fresh copepods.

yeah I learned that the hard way. I may be adding some copepods to this setup anyway even though these two don't really need them in their diet. It wouldn't do anything besides help so I figured why not? But I do believe I went with a lot better stock options this time around and HOPEFULLY won't have anymore problems that I can't fix.

My next task is to get this tank setup for a mini-reef. I want to start out with some easy growing corals like Leathers or small Mushrooms mainly because I have absolutely no experience with corals and I don't have that great of knowledge on corals either. This probably won't happen for another few weeks though. I need to build up some more rock in the tank and make sure I get my parameters just right so I don't waste my time and money on corals that may not live.

 

[ShadowBass]

Sounds good.

Most mushrooms actually seem to do just fine even in bad water quality, so I'd start with those if you're worried. Just enough stress actually causes them to propagate everywhere but not die.

Green star polyps are another good choice for something easy. If you sit them on the sand they will spread well but you won't have to worry about them spreading all over the rocks an becoming a plague.

 

[KrabbeAquatics]

I do like the Green Star Polyps. I'm either gonna start with some Blue Mushrooms or some Green Star Polyps. I may upgrade my lighting as well though becasue right now I just have a 18" T8, but it's pretty bright for what it is.

 

[ShadowBass]

How much visible light doesn't really equate to how much usable light. That's not really sufficient for a full on reef. It is sufficient for mushrooms though.

 

[KrabbeAquatics]

I would like to get a nice HO T5 fixture for my tank, but not a lot of companies make one small enough for a 10g. I like the Deep Blue brand with the blue LED accents, but the smallest fixture I found with those was 24" and I need a 20" fixture. Any suggestions on lighting?

 

[Coel03]

It may not be the best companies but there is atleast

http://www.aquatraders.com/T5-Aquarium-Lighting-s/9.htm

I got a Duncan as my first coral and have had it for 3 weeks an its doing great


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[KrabbeAquatics]

It may not be the best companies but there is atleast

http://www.aquatraders.com/T5-Aquarium-Lighting-s/9.htm

I got a Duncan as my first coral and have had it for 3 weeks an its doing great


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

I may get one of those fixtures. I like how they have the separate cords for each function. I would like to leave the LEDs on 24/7 while the 12000k and actinic are on a 14/10 light cycle. Have you had any problems with yours? some people said theirs came with a broken ballast. And some people say the 20" fixtures are a tad bit too big for a 20" tank and they had to bend the brackets a bit. What size did you get?