Aqua Enthusiasts 10 gallon build

[OceanDude]

Hi! I am finally just days away from starting my new 10 gallon tank. This would technically be my second tank, as my first tank was kind of a learning experience as most tanks are. But now I'm back and ready to do this!

Current equipment:

• Prizm Skimmer
• Aqueon 10 gallon filter (Will mainly run just for flow/surface agitation. Possibly add some filter floss for a day to clear the water some.)
• 50 Watt heater
• What seems to be a never ending supply of dry rock.
• Aragonite
• Aqueon 500 gph powerhead
• Ecoxotic PAR 38 (6 Blue, 4 White, 2 Red)

Now to help start the cycle, I am picking up a piece of very mature live rock from a gentleman who is tearing down his tank. (All rock is $10 a piece!) As well as like 40% of a block of mysis in a net on the surface. My scape will be a sort of pillar in the center of the tank so that the PAR's spotlight effect will illuminate the scape the most and gradually start to shade as you near the corners.

Stocking

• This tank is going to be practically all coral. No fish. The center scape is going to be mainly dominated by zoas and other assorted Polyps. Although there will be some other corals on it as well. (His rock has some pinstripe mushrooms on them). There will be a good area of substrate with a habitable amount of light so that's where I plan to put maybe a ric or two, maybe some duncans, candy canes, possibly acans. You get it. But I don't want this tank to be so controlled. I'm not going to be fragging every time something starts to look a little ugly. I personally like the look of an 'overgrown' tank.
• Other than corals, I plan on having a small CUC. At first, the CUC will only consist of herbivores because there will be no meat for omnivores and carnivorous snails and crabs. Eventually I plan on adding a shrimp as the main showpiece. I'm thinking about a Yellow Line Anemone Shrimp or a Venus Shrimp. Then I will have to have some meaty food for it, but I plan on trying to make it controlled to the point where I can make sure it's eating it and not letting it float around and rot.

So yeah, that's about it for the planning phase! Please stay tuned if you are interested! I'll start posting pictures when the light comes in on Tuesday!

 

[veselym]

I am doing a 10G right now as well...fun little tanks and I am doing mostly corals with one damsel

equipment looks good but I would suggest an ATO for a tank this small

 

[OceanDude]

So everything is about ready. I decided to hang the par. Backgrounds are on, all black, of course! Aragonite has been rinsed 3 times, still very milky, but it would take forever to make it crystal clear. So I laid the aragonite down. Now salt is mixing! 4 gallons at a time. Things are going great. Tonight all water will be added to the tank. Tomorrow I will put in my dry rock and a piece of live rock! Pics to come.

 

[Diamond1]

Sounds like a good plan. Taggin along.

 

[Waterchange]

Nanos can be extremely rewarding! Corals will be cheaper because anything will look massive in a 10. "60 bucks? How much for a lil snip.....$10?! I'll take it!!"