Nick’s 10g

[BedrockIOMC]

I have been out of the hobby for a couple of years due to my wife and I being apartment dwellers. Because I have been missing being in the hobby, I decided to call the leasing office and ask if I could have an aquarium. They were kind enough to agree to allow me to have one as long as it is on the bottom floor. Luckily, we do live on the bottom floor.

Here is the start of my ten-gallon reef. I plan on using the same equipment on a future build when my wife and I purchase our first home within the next two years.

My current equipment list follows:

- Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion Nano 10
- EcoTech Marine Radion XR15w G3 Pro with RMS
- EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD (2)
- EcoTech Marine ReefLink
- EcoTech Marine Battery Backup
- Cobalt Aquatics 50w Neo-Therm heater

Mac is patiently waiting for corals already.

It’s overkill, but I added two EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD units for flow. I plan on not having sand, which will allow me to keep detritus off of the bottom of the tank with the lower placement of the pumps.

My plan for flow patterns is to have one ramped down to the lowest setting while the other is at a higher, appropriate speed. This will be an alternating pattern covering the entire day. Throughout the day, I want to have both pumps set to higher speeds simultaneously for short bursts of time to provide moments of strong currents and to suspend any settled detritus.

Nobody wants to lose tank inhabitants due to power failures, so I picked up an EcoTech Marine Battery Backup for my VorTechs. Since the tank is small, I will connect one VorTech to the backup so that runtime is doubled when compared to both VorTechs being connected to it.

I should be receiving my RO/DI fittings for connecting to my bathroom faucet tomorrow, as well as five pounds of Two Little Fishies Stax for aquascaping with. I have MarinePure media in a rear chamber to provide maximum surface area for bacteria so that I can keep the display clean and use minimal rock since space is so precious in this size of a tank.

As for future livestock choices, I would like the following:

- Firefish (1)
- Lobophyllia
- Fungia
- Acanthastrea
- Scolymia
- Euphyllia

I want to be intentional with this build and not impulse-buy, but that will take some discipline. I think I can do it. [emoji854]

Thank you for taking the time to check out the start of my build. I can’t wait to share its progress with you!

Nice, I'm in a apartment myself. I decided to go with a biocube 32 and love it. Good luck with your tank and I hope you enjoy it.

 

[nickkohrn]

Nice, I'm in a apartment myself. I decided to go with a biocube 32 and love it. Good luck with your tank and I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you! It’s amazing how much joy that a tank this small can bring to life. I don’t know of another hobby or activity that melts stress away after a long day at work as much as reefing.

Did you have any issues convincing your landlord to allow you to have an aquarium?

 

[915MANG]

Agree Top Down Views are Killer. The Waterbox Frag tanks look nice, Lets see how long this 10g last you before you go bigger, lol

 

[nickkohrn]

Agree Top Down Views are Killer. The Waterbox Frag tanks look nice, Lets see how long this 10g last you before you go bigger, lol

I agree with your sentiment regarding seeing how long this ten-gallon will last. I told my wife that I’m already spoiled with the ability to have one, so I want to relish my current setup.

 

[nickkohrn]

I received something fun today! It looks like my weekend will be filled with wiring and mounting things!

 

[nickkohrn]

Friday is going to be a good day! [emoji5]

 

[BedrockIOMC]

Thank you! It’s amazing how much joy that a tank this small can bring to life. I don’t know of another hobby or activity that melts stress away after a long day at work as much as reefing.

Did you have any issues convincing your landlord to allow you to have an aquarium?

No they dont have a rule against them. I have 4 of them. 2 of them all small, 2.5gal and 3gal , with bettas in them.

 

[BedrockIOMC]

Friday is going to be a good day! [emoji5]

What the? Are you already upgrading?

 

[nickkohrn]

What the? Are you already upgrading?

Yep! I used to run my current ten-gallon a couple of years ago, and I forgot how difficult it was to aquascape and leave enough room for corals that I didn’t want on rock. I mainly wanted to double the usable space so that I can get corals that can grow a little larger and have more stable water chemistry.

The following notable features of the ordered Waterbox really stand out to me:

- The rear wall is shorter than the rest of the tank, which will allow water to flow into the rear chambers and not flood the floor if the overflow becomes obstructed.

- I hate when coralline algae covers anything but the rocks. The rear wall is glass, which will make cleaning it easier.

Now, I’ll be able to use my current ten-gallon as a quarantine or emergency system.

 

[BedrockIOMC]

Yep! I used to run my current ten-gallon a couple of years ago, and I forgot how difficult it was to aquascape and leave enough room for corals that I didn’t want on rock. I mainly wanted to double the usable space so that I can get corals that can grow a little larger and have more stable water chemistry.

The following notable features of the ordered Waterbox really stand out to me:

- The rear wall is shorter than the rest of the tank, which will allow water to flow into the rear chambers and not flood the floor if the overflow becomes obstructed.

- I hate when coralline algae covers anything but the rocks. The rear wall is glass, which will make cleaning it easier.

Now, I’ll be able to use my current ten-gallon as a quarantine or emergency system.

Awesome!!!! Good deal enough that larger tank. You'll be happier in a long run for sure.

 

[915MANG]

Friday is going to be a good day! [emoji5]

Congrats Reefer

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Coming along nicely, and way to go on the upgrade to 20g! More Water = Happier everything and lower maintenance on water parameters.

Should be cool to too how much you can pack in under that Radion! Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

You've planned this nicely and I ALWAYS admire buy the best they can , thereby Buying it ONCE.
I however question....MP-10's??? Just in case, get your self a nano pump just in case you discover way too much turbulence. I have a 93g cube and have great movement and that tank has two RW-4 units which are mini .

 

[nickkohrn]

You've planned this nicely and I ALWAYS admire buy the best they can , thereby Buying it ONCE.
I however question....MP-10's??? Just in case, get your self a nano pump just in case you discover way too much turbulence. I have a 93g cube and have great movement and that tank has two RW-4 units which are mini .

I used to have the MP10s on this ten-gallon a few years ago, and it worked out nicely. I used to run one of them on the lowest setting while the other was off. That pattern would alternate throughout the day. I don’t want the current to always come from the same direction because I want to keep detritus suspended and I don’t want stagnant, predictable, growth patterns for corals. When I wanted the turbulent flow, I would have both come on, simultaneously, at their lowest settings for a couple of minutes. That pattern happened a handful of times per day. I didn’t have corals on the bottom of the tank, so I placed the MP10s at the bottom of the tank, opposing each other. It never appeared as though it made any of my corals unhappy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I used to have the MP10s on this ten-gallon a few years ago, and it worked out nicely. I used to run one of them on the lowest setting while the other was off. That pattern would alternate throughout the day. I don’t want the current to always come from the same direction because I want to keep detritus suspended and I don’t want stagnant, predictable, growth patterns for corals. When I wanted the turbulent flow, I would have both come on, simultaneously, at their lowest settings for a couple of minutes. That pattern happened a handful of times per day. I didn’t have corals on the bottom of the tank, so I placed the MP10s at the bottom of the tank, opposing each other. It never appeared as though it made any of my corals unhappy.

Makes sense and if it works and is under control- that's the main solution.

 

[tiggs]

MP10s can work wonders in small tanks. I run a single Mp10 in 14 gallon cube and I've never had better flow. Prior to his, I used smaller pumps with a narrower, more direct flow and it was tricky to get proper flow near the substrate without causing sand storms. With the Vortechs, the flow is wider and less turbulent, so the result is tons of random gentle flow. I have a WXM program that varies different wave patterns throughout the day and maxes out at 65%, so you definitely have a ton of options with them, even in a small tank.

 

[nickkohrn]

Well, my Waterbox 20 Cube came from Premium Aquatics today. I ordered last year’s model by mistake, but that’s okay. I will be upgrading again within three years, so this will be more than enough to keep me satisfied.

I must say that I was bummed by how many scratches and scuffs the stand came with. They aren’t noticeable unless you are close to the stand, but there are a lot of them. The materials, such as the metal hardware, are cheap, and the stand’s laminate started peeling off when driving the screws in. However, That is on the inside of the stand, so I can live with it.

I’ll be going to pick out some rock tomorrow. I want to use dry rock because I want to avoid as many pests as possible. Most of the local shops around here have a ton of bubble algae and Aiptasia, so I will be taking the long road with some Dr. Tim’s One & Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria. Once I have water in and everything set up, I will be keeping the lights off, feeding ammonia to the bacteria, and testing while the tank is covered from sunlight. I want to give the system a chance to build a biofilm and really get a healthy population of bacteria built.

Onward with the photos from today. Don’t mind the dog toys. Mac was feeling playful today.

The instructions were terrible. I hope they fix them for future products.

Below is a nice view from the couch.

Here is another nice view from the dining table.

I ordered a 75w Eheim Jager Heater and a Hanna Instruments Checktemp Digital Thermometer (https://premiumaquatics.com/products/hanna-instruments-checktemp-digital-thermometer-1.html) yesterday, and they will be here on Monday.

 

[JRAD]

That looks great- btw- did it look like that stand could have been one that someone got and returned? Way too many scratches for a new one! I like all your step-by-step pictures!

 

[nickkohrn]

That looks great- btw- did it look like that stand could have been one that someone got and returned? Way too many scratches for a new one! I like all your step-by-step pictures!

It didn’t appear to be a returned stand, but I suppose it’s possible that it was.

 

[nickkohrn]

I’m planning on adding rock and water today. I love the look of sand, but I just don’t want the maintenance that comes with it.