illdoya's 10g money pit - pic heavy

[illdoya]

We all make mistakes dont beat your self up for it. If you want another one you can always reach out to vendors on this site and ask them if they have pods to seed the tank with. That way you will def know you can handle a blenny of that nature.

Thanks man! I see it says plainview for you - LI? I'm still a bit bummed about it but you're very correct. I am working on plans for a refugium where I'd be able to keep pods. Once thats all up and running I'll revisit the dragonettes!

Great job!

Sweet tank, welcome to R2R!!

Thanks so much! I'm glad people besides me can take a look at the tank lol.

 

[illdoya]

So I came into a small amount of cash that is "free money" I'm thinking of 2 upgrades and I was hoping for some help..

first is the refugium:

HB-210-FR: Finnex External HOB Refugium - comes with pump and light for $50

thoughts on an item like this? A bit more $$ that AC70 mod but it comes with the light.

New Lighting system - DIY LED KIT

Aquastyle 20 LED DIY kit - I've had my eyes on this kit for awhile... I want it really really bad lol. Question is - ok for my 10g? too much? Should I get dimmable DIY kit?

let me know what you guys think!

 

[spsboss]

while the fuge is really nice, you could probly save alot of money and make a dyi fuge out of a aqua clear filter and some filter floss, I know alot of the nano guys run them on their tanks and they like them alot. I have a fuge behing the over flow box because I have no room in the sump.

As for the leds, did you happen to try rapid leds, I am not to read up on the aquastyle led series but I do have and know alot of ppl that went with rapid leds, yes dimmable leds is always a must, you will be able to dim the leds down to the way you want them with out raising them so high to break up the light hitting the tank so you can loose some par and not burn the corals.

For the 10 gallon you could do 2 round heat sinks and have 2 whites and 2 blue and one red and one purple. (just my opion)

 

[illdoya]

while the fuge is really nice, you could probly save alot of money and make a dyi fuge out of a aqua clear filter and some filter floss, I know alot of the nano guys run them on their tanks and they like them alot. I have a fuge behing the over flow box because I have no room in the sump.

I did some talking and research yesterday on the sump/fuge question.. Looks like its gonna be the fuge. The pre-made fuge does not get great reviews though. The DIY AC110 or AC70 fuge mod looks like the move for me. I have a 13w 12" 50/50 light fixture to use over it so I'm hoping that will be enough light.

As for the leds, did you happen to try rapid leds, I am not to read up on the aquastyle led series but I do have and know alot of ppl that went with rapid leds, yes dimmable leds is always a must, you will be able to dim the leds down to the way you want them with out raising them so high to break up the light hitting the tank so you can loose some par and not burn the corals.

I was sure about the aquastyle LED kits, but I'm hearing enough about Rapid to check them out. Good to know dimmable is a must (i almost cheaped out lol). Gonna take some time to do the research on Rapid before I buy anything.

For the 10 gallon you could do 2 round heat sinks and have 2 whites and 2 blue and one red and one purple. (just my opion)

2 heatsinks - does that mean 2 separate fixtures? For the colors of each LED, I'm still in the research phase. When I first began i thought I just needed white and blue... But now I'm just trying to figure out which would provide the most PAR for the tank I have, while still being strong enough for an upgrade to 20g. LED's have seemed like the best option.

For now though I'm going to focus on the DIY fuge while I research the crap out of LEDs lol.

 

[spsboss]

I have 2 heat sinks and they are in one lighting fixture, you can mount them and make your own lighting fixture. If you need any advice on leds please feel free to ask. I have had them for over a year now and I must say the color is good.

Also remember they are dim-able so you will be able to provide more light over a larger tank. Also you can add to the system as well. Ten leds should be good for the 20 gallon ( I might be wrong so ask the led guys).

 

[illdoya]

thats all good to know! I'm still in the research phase so any input is helpful. A few others were talking about Rapid as well so I'm going to look into their kits also.

 

[illdoya]

7/30 Update - **new video & pic**

Good Morning reefers! Just wanted to post some updates of the last week before work today. I spent a decent amount of time over the last week doing a few changes.

FTS 7/29/12 (video below)

Parts Added:

Rio 50+ small circulation pump (set at 50gph) - makes total flow about 400 gph - 40x turn over for the tank

Livestock added:

Green Clown Goby (no name yet)

Lettuce Sea Slug : "Slimer"

Corals:

Clove Polyps

Rock Encrusting coral (leptoseris??)

Full Tank Video - 7/29/12
So here is a quick video - take a look re-did rock work on sandbed - I think I am finally happy with it. Swapped out bottom right rocks - new ones create a better little cave system and are crusted with coraline algae.

[video=youtube_share;K5v0lm45Lnc]http://youtu.be/K5v0lm45Lnc[/video]

 

[spsboss]

I live the cloves, excelent work. The video is really good and the blue zoas stand out alot.

 

[illdoya]

thanks man! I really dig the cloves i'll be stoked when i see some new polyps. Those blue zoas are "tubbs blue(?) - one of my first frags, actually got from R2R member I met thru craigslist lol. They started as 3 polyps and now is 6 i think

 

[spsboss]

they look hot and yes they are the tubbs blue

 

[illdoya]

tank update!

Hey everyone! so its been awhile since my last update - some changes have been made.

the lettuce sea slug didnt make it - sucked into the powerhead, then found some pieces of him in the filter. Clown gobie also disappeared, not exactly sure what happened to him

So the only fish are a single false perc and a pajama cardinal.

some coral frags added since last update(?): will post individual pics this weekend

frogspawn
torch
leptastrea
duncan
Acans
Acropora (wanted to try it out!)

please take a look at the video - constructive criticism would be awesome! Can the veterans notice anything in the video that I should be aware of?

[video=youtube_share;c1JSUM0uVwg]http://youtu.be/c1JSUM0uVwg[/video]

 

[Calvin Lord]

tank looks good, keep an eye on your alk,calcium and magnesium with the sps in there. it all looks verry happy though.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

The tank is looking great!!!!

 

[illdoya]

tank looks good, keep an eye on your alk,calcium and magnesium with the sps in there. it all looks verry happy though.

that's great to hear thanks alot man! I checked your tank thread too - I dig it I monitor alk and calcium but dont have a mag test yet. maybe going to LFS today so ill see if they carry. Alk stays at around 12, tested a few times at 10, a few at 13, but pretty consistent at 12. Calcium seems to be pretty stable, always around 460ppm. I do 2g water changes every sunday morning w/ instant ocean salt mix which ive been assuming is what keeps the levels up. A bro told me to switch to the reef crystal mix instead but i havent run out of what I have yet.

The tank is looking great!!!!

Thank you very much!

 

[slugwall]

Very nice! Love the look!

 

[Pkunk35]

That's a really great nano! I especially like your last updated pic, in particular the euphyllia.

i don't have any suggestions except to watch your parameters as you add livestock, things change fast in small tanks. Also if your salt and water change schedule is keeping you stable, i wouldn't change anything.

One question i had is how are you topping off? I find that salinity can fluctuate a lot in a nano, so topping off is pretty important issue with them.

May i suggest a fish for your nano? I have a barnacle blenny in my tank and I think they are perfect nano reef fish. Very entertaining fish when eating, super peaceful.

not my video:
[video=youtube;o9D_-gDTFJM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9D_-gDTFJM[/video]


Thanks for sharing!

 

[illdoya]

That's a really great nano! I especially like your last updated pic, in particular the euphyllia.

thanks alot man! much appreciated

i don't have any suggestions except to watch your parameters as you add livestock, things change fast in small tanks. Also if your salt and water change schedule is keeping you stable, i wouldn't change anything.

gonna stick to the same salt mix - things seem to be going well, no need to switch it up right? lol

One question i had is how are you topping off? I find that salinity can fluctuate a lot in a nano, so topping off is pretty important issue with them.

I only have to top off, at most, once a week in-between water changes. I use a glass versa-lid, but i removed the rubber strip, so its just 2 glass panes. the AC70 and 2 powerheads break the surface tension. all that said, the tank stays at 1.025 (what I mix the water at). With the lid I dont see too much evaporation, and without the evaporation my salinity seems to be a bit stabler. I also keep fans blowing on the tank all day to push the heat from the lights away so tank stays at 77 degrees.

May i suggest a fish for your nano? I have a barnacle blenny in my tank and I think they are perfect nano reef fish. Very entertaining fish when eating, super peaceful.

really love these little guys! a not-so-LFS has them one in awhile, but they're a bit pricey. thanks for sharing the video! these guys are definitely on my list maybe after the next upgrade

 

[illdoya]

9.29.12 Tank update - w/ pics & video

Hey everyone! just another update on my 10g nano.

not sure if i mentioned, but I put an AC70 HOB filter on, eventually planning to turn into refugium.

as always - any constructive criticism & advice on ways to ensure longterm success are greatly appreciated!! I hope you enjoy my photos.

so here are some shots of my stuff:

Full tank shot 9.29:

Video 9.29:
[video=youtube_share;aIkUaO2tOWg]http://youtu.be/aIkUaO2tOWg[/video]

Current Fish:
these guys are all happy healthy and eating so im hoping to have found a good mix for this small tank

Bonkers - False Perc

Tulip - Pajama Cardinal

Tailspot blenny - no name yet

Shrimp:
Doc - Skunk (cleaner shrimp)

No name yet - Peppermit Shrimp

 

[illdoya]

9.29.12 Tank update - w/ pics & video

and here are individual shots of the coral

 

[illdoya]

new full tank shot 10/21 - used iphone iOS6 panorama feature on an iPhone 4S

newer corals - Chalice and more trumpets (front middle) seem to be doing well growth all around in tank. Slow but steady. wanting to upgrade soon to a 20long w/ LEDs..

what do you guys think?? curious what you think of scape and coral placement. fish are not in this pic for some reason