My first thread! I set up the 10 gallon aquarium in July 2021 and had it cycled by August 2021. Now it’s March 2022, so we’ve got 8 months of tank building to catch up on! (And a side story of yellow goby)
photO by @bitts inspired me to get seahorses and macroalgae. My husband was setting up the 210 gallon high flow SPS tank at the time, so I knew if I wanted seahorses they would have to be in a small, separate tank.
Started building the aqua scape
I’m using a mixture of caribsea and pukani rock.
I was in no rush whatsoever to get the tank set up. It was pleasant.
introduction: yellow goby (yellow watchman goby)
He was noticeably thin in the 30 gallon tank and the next day his dorsal fin had been bit and his arm fin was bloody. We found out then that the damsel was a jerk.
Yellow goby went to 2.5gal quarantine tank immediately because he could hardly swim and was being attacked by the damsel. Damsel went to the 210 gallon so he could have more room. Yellow goby recovered within a week in the 2.5gal qt. We reintroduced him to the 30 gallon and the female clownfish started biting his tail! I panicked and put him back in the 2.5. He was family at this point. I was running on emotion.
I don’t have a “while cycling” picture. But this is what I had come up with.
aquarium is a standard aqueon 10 gallon
substrate is caribsea oolite that I pulled from the 30 gallon because the husband wanted a shallower sand bed. And on the right is aragonite and seashells. I ended up taking the seashells out because cyano kept growing on them and it was a pain to siphon.
powerhead is aquaneat circulation pump. Cheapest 2 pack on Amazon.
Return pump is another cheap Amazon pick. 90 gph domica mini submersible.
sump is a 0.5 gallon hang on back fish breeder from fluval
Light is the Aqueon planted LED clip on fixture
Here is a couple pictures of my first macroalgaes. Since I wanted seahorses I knew I would need some hitching posts like gorgonians or certain macroalgaes but I want to start much simpler with caulerpa prolifera and my LFS threw in caulerpa taxifolia(?) for free!
Then yellow goby got a quarantine roommate…..
Started building the aqua scape
I was in no rush whatsoever to get the tank set up. It was pleasant.
introduction: yellow goby (yellow watchman goby)
Yellow goby went to 2.5gal quarantine tank immediately because he could hardly swim and was being attacked by the damsel. Damsel went to the 210 gallon so he could have more room. Yellow goby recovered within a week in the 2.5gal qt. We reintroduced him to the 30 gallon and the female clownfish started biting his tail! I panicked and put him back in the 2.5. He was family at this point. I was running on emotion.
aquarium is a standard aqueon 10 gallon
substrate is caribsea oolite that I pulled from the 30 gallon because the husband wanted a shallower sand bed. And on the right is aragonite and seashells. I ended up taking the seashells out because cyano kept growing on them and it was a pain to siphon.
powerhead is aquaneat circulation pump. Cheapest 2 pack on Amazon.
Return pump is another cheap Amazon pick. 90 gph domica mini submersible.
sump is a 0.5 gallon hang on back fish breeder from fluval
Light is the Aqueon planted LED clip on fixture
Here is a couple pictures of my first macroalgaes. Since I wanted seahorses I knew I would need some hitching posts like gorgonians or certain macroalgaes but I want to start much simpler with caulerpa prolifera and my LFS threw in caulerpa taxifolia(?) for free!
Then yellow goby got a quarantine roommate…..